Fractured: A Spy's Tale
by RebeccaRoy
Summary: When Severus Snape finally blows his cover with Voldemort he is regulated to a fate far worse than death. When he is rescued and brought to Grimmauld Place he has to heal more than his body as his mind and soul need healing the most.
1. In Memoriam

_Disclaimer:_

_I do not own the characters of Harry Potter, these belong to that wonderful author JK Rowling and the various publishing companies used to publish her works. I am however borrowing them, no not to make money but for fun and fun only._

_Summary:_

_When Severus Snape finally blows his cover with Voldemort he is regulated to a fate far worse than death. When he is rescued and brought to Grimmauld Place he has to heal more than his body as his mind and soul need healing the most. This completely disregards HPB and DH but does keep most of OotP but not all of course. _

_This fiction will deal with some very dark themes, mostly torture and description of torture. There will be talk of rape but no slash at all. This is going to be dark but with hope too and it does start out grimly with the death of a great wizard and goes from there. The first few chapters will be dark and there will be quite a bit of blood and gore and descriptions of terrible things._

_There will be lots of religious themes, I am religious and a Christian and so that will be reflected in my story here. Dark magic is still evil and bad all dark magic is harmful and cannot be used for anything but evil things. So the spells that the death eaters use are not "misguided" or "unpopular spells" they truly are horrible evil things. So being a dark wizard is not good here at all though calling one's self light does not make you instantly good either. That has to be earned of course._

_I am going to keep some of the ships the same, mainly that of Harry and Ginny. I love Harry and Ginny together and see them as soul-mates. I do plan on fleshing out Ginny more as I feel that she was not given enough time in the Harry Potter world. I feel she should have been with Harry and Co on the hunt for Horcruxes as that would have made sense for her to do that. Anyway that is the main cannon ship, and there will be a few others too. Bill/Fleur, Remus/Tonks, Me/Snape….Okay the last one was a joke, though if I were not married I would…well I am married so Snape is off limits. So let's get this started shall we?_

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Chapter One: In Memoriam

Harry did not want to be here, not like this, he hated having to speak in public and he did not want to speak like this. One week earlier he had been in the battle of the department of mysteries and they had lost one of their own. Alastor Moody had died in the death chamber, at least twenty people saw him fall through the veil to his death. Now Harry was here to speak about a man, a wizard who had helped him out this last school year. His fifth year at Hogwarts had been tough but Moody had helped keep him in line and out of the cross-hairs as it were. Now he was dead and Harry felt miserable as Moody had believed in him and Harry felt as if he had lost a part of himself. Now he stood the one to give one of the many speeches at the memorial of Alastor Moody, there would be no funeral as there was no body to recover, no body to bury. Harry stood up at the podium and tugged nervously at the collar of his dress robes.

"I am not sure I am the best to speak on professor Moody." Harry began, "all I can tell you is what little I know of him. I met the real Alastor Moody a month after my fourth year of school. I still don't know why he took me under his wing to mentor and be a part of my life. I do know it was not because of who everyone says I am but because of who I am. He saw a puzzled geeky young teen and took me under his wing, I am grateful for that. Those of you who went to school with me last year will remember a certain incident where he had promised to send a howler if I caused trouble in school."

There was laughter at this as many students did remember that howler. Harry had mouthed off in Umbridge's class and had got detention with her. The next morning true to his word Harry had received a howler. As the owl flew towards him everyone around him ducked or covered their ears. Harry flinched as the Howler was dropped in his plate of eggs and he opened it at once. He had not seen the headmaster nearly choke on his breakfast or Severus smirk at this. He had to listen to Moody tell him exactly what he would do to him in painful detail if he did anything like what he had again. Harry had been very careful after that to not cause trouble but he had helped form the defense club and keep it going all year until the fateful day he Voldemort had sprung the trap and the battle at the ministry.

"Alastor Moody was a hard closed man with most but to those he called friends he would do anything for you." Here Harry had to stop as he choked up, "even give his life. In fact he did, not just for me but for all of us. He gave his life to save the world, to make it that much a better place. Let us make sure his death is not in vain, let us all fight this war together not divided."

Harry ended his speech and sat down by Sirius who now free and cleared of all charges could walk free again. He put his hand on his godson's shoulder to comfort him while Neville went up to speak next. Harry was a very well known teen in the Wizarding world and it was not just because of his spiky black hair, good natured face and brilliant green eyes. No it was due to the fact he had survived a killing curse as a baby when his parents were killed and the killing curse used backfired and ended up destroying for a time the dark lord Voldemort. Voldemort was an evil wicked wizard who had come back just over a year prior, now due to the battle in the ministry he had been ousted but at the same time he had gained the prophecy. Several death eaters had been captured though the real prize, Lucius Malfoy had managed to not even be ousted or captured.

Harry listened to what Neville had to say, Moody had really taken to working with Neville, he had seen that Neville was as much a target as Harry and he had helped the boy gain much needed confidence. What with the defense club and the battle he was fast becoming a powerful wizard. He didn't look like the hero he was, he was not very tall and had a soft round face and was a bit overweight, but he was powerful in his own right. He was more eloquent than Harry had been but Harry did not mind, in fact he realized that Neville was not only a good friend but someone you wanted to back you up or lead you in a battle. He was very good natured and slow to anger, much as his parents had been before the attack. His father had been an Auror and his mother had been a poet. But no more, they would never speak again or leave St. Mungos as everything magical and muggle had been tried to save them.

Neville finished speaking and it was Dumbledore's turn. Harry hardly heard what he said, he was feeling down and the loss of Moody was just one more in a long line of losses for Harry starting with his parents. He wanted to kill Voldemort and Lucius Malfoy both but first he wanted to make them suffer badly as he suffered. He had heard the prophecy, he knew why Voldemort was after him and unfortunately so did Voldemort as Lucius Malfoy had managed to get it and Apparate to safety with three other death eaters, one of those being Bellatrix Lestrange. Dumbledore told those here that did not already know that Alastor Moody had been Slytherin and Harry noticed that Professor Snape was watching from where the other professors of Hogwarts sat with hooded eyes. His long lank hair hung about his sallow face and he looked gaunt and unwell, his black eyes duller than normal, then again he was out in the full sunlight, not a place Harry expected him to be.

"How can he be here after all that happened?" Harry said to Neville who was sitting next to him.

"I-I don't think he is bad anymore." Neville said, "he seems, I don't know I know what it is like to be misjudged and treated badly."

"Mostly by him, remember he bullied you?" Harry replied.

"Yea, but I found out that my dad was one of the ones who interrogated him after the first war." Neville said, "guess I just look like him then. He was nicer to me this last year, I think we should give him a chance."

"Why would you defend him?" Harry asked, "he is a death eater!"

"I don't think he is Harry, not really." Neville replied, "I try to be a good judge of character and well he doesn't seem evil, you know he saved me from Umbridge and her quill."

"He hates me." Harry muttered.

"You hate him back." Neville replied.

"Neville sometimes you annoy me." Harry shot at his friend.

"Well that is what friends are for, to tell the truth even if it is hard to hear." Neville replied.

Harry could not help but agree as Neville was right. He was far smarter than anyone had ever given him credit for and he had blossomed this last year in the defense classes right along with Luna Lovegood. He had a cause to fight for and he had taken to studying harder than he ever had. He still was dismal in potions and both he and Snape were glad he was not going on in potions. Still he had seen a side to Snape that Harry still could not wrap his mind around. Not after Snape had thrown a jar at his head and refused to teach him Occulumency. Harry felt guilty about Moody but he felt rage too, rage against Snape who had helped cause the death of Moody, if only he had helped him and not sided with Umbridge! Of course Snape had not but that is not how Harry saw it.

The last year Moody had taken Harry under his wing and had taught him during the summer. He had found him when he had hid from everyone in his godfather's house after he felt he had attacked Mr. Weasley. Moody had a good long talk with him then and he had seemed to really care about Harry. It had hurt when Harry had lost him, he felt as if he had lost a piece of himself and he wanted to cry but dared not, not here, not with all the people to see that. He wondered as he sat at the memorial what the next year would have in store for him. He was sure things could not get much more interesting or worse. However he was wrong, so very, very wrong this time…

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_As stated this will be mostly cannon through OoTP but not all. Moody did send a howler to Harry and this did a lot of good for Harry. It helped him keep his temper in check and keep him on the Gryffindor team. After the attack on Mr. Weasley Harry was suppose to learn Occulumency but he did look into the pensive and Snape caught him. That is how the battle at the ministry still happened. Harry blames himself for that as it was Moody an old warrior but a good kind warrior died and not Sirius as Sirius was not at the battle this time. No and why that is will be explained later._


	2. The Guest of Lord Voldemort

Chapter Two: The Guest of Lord Voldemort:

One Year Later:

Hermione struggled again to get free but it was a futile move on her part. She had been captured by death eaters and though she fought bravely she had been overwhelmed and captured. Now bound a death eater grabbed her and took something from the pockets of his robes. With a jerk she felt herself flying through the air and she braced herself as they landed so she would not stumble and fall. She did keep to her feet and found herself in a room in an old crumbling manor. The death eater who had a good grip on her drug her forward to where a hooded man stood in the shadows. Hermione knew who that man was before he turned to face her. She saw his red eyes glowing in his white snake-like face and she willed her mind blank as he came forward to face her.

"Ah so you bring me a prize do you Lucius?" Voldemort asked softly.

"Oh so now I have to deal with two annoying idiots." Hermione said coolly.

"Charming, isn't she?" Voldemort said stepping to and forcing Hermione to look him in the eye. "I will enjoy breaking her later, take her out of here!"

"Yes master." Lucius said bowing low.

"I have a new ally to bring here, I think the traitor and our guest will find our friend engaging."

"Yes master I do believe they will." Lucius replied.

Lucius drug Hermione out and down a set of stairs to corridors deep under what Hermione could only guess was Riddle manor. In fact she had no idea but was only guessing where she was and she knew there was a good chance she was dead. She had heard rumors about the death eaters and was fearing for more than her safety now. Lucius shook her roughly as she stumbled and he had to drag her up. He was masked and hooded and did not speak to her as he drug her along. It was dark down here, the only light came from Lucius' wand, if not for her extra senses Hermione was sure she would have got lost fast. She was drug to a room and struggled as she was drug in and chained to the wall.

"You bastard!" She snarled at Lucius.

"I will not hurt you like that girl." Lucius snarled, "but I have no problem in teaching you a little lesson you mudblood scum!"

"Look in the mirror, you are the true scum!" Hermione shot back.

"Enjoy your new roommate, I am sure he will enjoy your company." Lucius snarled.

He left the room and Hermione heard a moan of pain and she turned and gasped in horror. Hanging from chains, naked bloody and starved was Severus Snape. His long black hair framed his sallow skinned face and he was filthy and had a full beard as he had not shaved or been shaved in weeks. Hermione saw he was awake and he looked over at her with pain filled eyes. Hermione wished she could get out of her chains to help him but she was unable to get to him. He groaned in pain and Hermione looked away as she knew he was ashamed of his lack of clothing and the fact he was hanging helpless unable to defend himself or her.

"I was hoping he would not get you." Snape rasped. "Of all the people he had to get the most annoying student I have ever had."

"I am not happy to be here either sir." Hermione snapped, "seems the unnamed one has it in for me as well as you."

"He is going for a new werewolf." Snape said, "you know what that means?"

"We have to get out of here." Hermione replied.

"And just how do you plan on that?" Snape snapped, "he took everything from me, and you have no wand."

Before she could respond the door opened and Wormtail entered. Hermione snarled at him and she saw he had her wand in hand. Cold fury went through her as he started to torture Snape with it causing him to scream in pain. She wished she could get out of her chains then she realized she could, though it meant her secret was no longer going to be a secret. She morphed from human to cat form and slipped from her chains, a streak of brown fur ran across the room and the brown tabby turned back to human form and she knocked Wormtail out with her fists, and took her wand back from him. She turned to Snape who had watched all this emotionlessly.

"It's okay sir, I will get you down," Hermione said walking up and steadying his body before she unlocked the chains with her wand.

"Typical Gryffindor stupidity." Snape rasped, "you realize we are going to die here?"

"We have to fight, we have to try to get out of here." Hermione said helping him down, he fell to his knees and remained there and bit back a groan. "You rest first, I will take care of Wormtail sir."

"Just kill him." Snape said, "bastard should not live for what he did."

"We need him alive." Hermione said turning Wormtail to his Animagmus form and putting him in a small drawstring bag. She cast some spells over it before she put it in her satchel still hidden under her cloak. She reached into her satchel and pulled out a towel, at Snape's raised eyebrow. "I keep various things with me sir, just in case I need them, you um need something to cover yourself."

"It's pink Hermione." Snape rasped.

"Well I am a witch sir." She said transfiguring it black. "Can you um cover yourself sir?"

"No, you will have to." Snape said willing himself not to blush. "You should not be here."

"I could not leave you here." She said kneeling by him and looking him in the eye as she carefully put the towel around his waist. "Don't you dare read my mind sir."

"Why not it's a beautiful mind." Snape shot back then added hastily. "I am ah sorry I should not have said that."

"I always knew you thought I was brilliant." Hermione said charming the towel to stay in place. "Can you walk?"

"No, MacNair he used a whip on my feet, it was practical of him really, kept me from escaping when they let me down." Snape said bitterly. "To allow Wormtail to…"

"Lay down, I will tend to them." Hermione said cutting him off as she was sure she did not want to hear just now what Wormtail had done to Snape. "I have lots of things in here."

"I suppose you have the kitchen sink in there then?" Snape said trying for a joke.

"Yes three compartment with a garbage disposal." She shot back.

Before she started to work on his feet she summoned a goblet and bottle of wine she had seen in the corner and she poured him a goblet full and after splinting up and putting back in joint several of his fingers he was able to take the goblet and drink the wine. While he drank Hermione took out a bottle of Essence of Dittany and after washing his feet with water from her wand she began to apply the Dittany and saw the deep gashes heal up. She was not happy they did not heal up as fast as she wanted but when she gave Wormtail's wand to Severus he was able to finish the job. He started to cough harshly and Hermione would have pounded his back but as it was a mass of deep cuts, welts and bruises she could not. Finally he stopped and she helped him to his feet and removed her cloak putting it around his broad shoulders. Though he did not show it Snape was grateful she had thought to cover his embarrassment (that was one word for it) with something before she had done anything else.

"Here take this before we go sir." She said handing him a small vial.

"Strengthening potion, you make this?" Severus asked.

"No actually Harry did, thanks to your book he has become quite good in potions." Hermione said, "if I had known the prince was you I would have studied more from the book."

"He dared use my work." Snape snarled letting her guide him out of the room and down the hall.

"Only because you planted it there for him, you set it up so he would get the book, you knew you would not be teaching potions last year sir. I know you don't much like Harry and he is a dear friend but he really should have treated you with more respect sir." Hermione said then at Snape's glare, "I told him as much, both him and Ron sir."

"I see, so how do you like the prince now?" Snape said quietly holding his wand out as they came to another corridor, they could not go for the stairs as they lead straight to Voldemort.

"I like him very much sir." Hermione said, "you are not so mysterious as you hope to be."

"No I am not, if I had been I would not be here!" Snape said gasping and wheezing for breath. "So bloody weak, Voldemort saw through me in the end."

"It's not your fault sir." Hermione said softly.

"Quiet, someone is coming." Severus said holding up a hand.

Hermione guided him to a spot where he collapsed and try as she might she could not get him up. He lay there wheezing and gasping too weak to move. Hermione could hear someone walking along and she covered Snape as best she could and disillusioned herself and hid nearby. She felt rage boil inside as a man came to view, the hated figure of Lucius Malfoy, tall clad in fine velvet black robes with long pale blond hair. He looked around and Snape forced himself to remain quiet and he felt a thrill of fear as Malfoy looked directly at him. He looked away and Snape knew he had seen him and he watched as Malfoy removed his wand from his cane but did not aim it at him. He turned to aim where he thought Hermione was but missed by a long shot. The next spell came from Hermione and she stunned Lucius slamming him to the wall. She walked over and looked down at the death eater and cast another spell turning his hair bright pink, then she took his cloak and walked over to Severus putting it around his shoulders for added warmth.

"You better hope he never finds out you did that miss Granger." Severus said wheezing as he was helped to his feet, "he will seek his revenge."

"Try and torture me like he tortured you?" Hermione said.

"I am not his enemy even now." Snape said then changed the subject, "if I am correct we are in Riddle manor and there is a way out down one of these corridors."

"Then we better get going, when Malfoy does not turn up more will be sent down sir." Hermione replied. "No chance of Apparating out here is there sir?"

"No, not until you are off the grounds, but the dark lord may know I have escaped and could be toying with us." Snape said bitterly, "you could be an illusion of his."

"Well would an illusion do this…" Hermione put a soft kiss on his cheek, "would an illusion do that?"

"N-no it would not." Snape said looking a bit startled at the action.

"Good now let's get out of here sir." Hermione said.

She used her cat-senses to help them down the corridors, what she did not know and Severus knew only slightly was there was a virtual maze down here. Yet even with the confusion of the corridors Hermione had a feeling she was going the right way as they walked down the cold corridors to freedom. They had walked for some time when Snape could go no further without a rest. Hermione helped him sit and he coughed and looked up at her with pain filled eyes. He felt so weak and he was shamed by that feeling, he looked up at the bushy brown haired girl with brown eyes looking at him with concern. He had never seen such a look from one of his students and he tried to feel anger but was too tried and in pain to do much more that moan in pain. He felt a hand on his shoulder and once more he looked up at Hermione.

"Leave me, you will get away but I cannot make it, too damn weak." Snape gasped.

"You will make it, I will not leave you sir." Hermione replied.

"If the dark lord comes back, he will send his werewolf after us." Snape said, "leave me, save yourself."

"Grayback is dead, who can he get to follow him now?" Hermione asked him.

"He will find one, one who will be rewarded with me." Snape said, "the dark lord sat he would feed me to him one piece at a time, first my fingers, then hands and arms and then feet legs and everything else piece by piece."

"More reason to get you out of here and if you say he would do the same to me I have a little surprise that would take him out along with me." Hermione said giving Severus some water.

"You have muggle weapons?" Snape asked.

"Yes, can you stand?" Hermione asked him.

"Yes, but I don't know how far I can go." Snape replied.

Once more Hermione helped him up and continued on, Snape was not sure how much further he could go when they came out into the waning moon light. Snape gasped as the cooler air hit his bare body and nearly fell, he felt a small but strong hand steady him and keep him on his feet, realized that no matter what happened the insufferable girl was not going to let him go. Hermione helped him over the cropped grass and into the woods around the manor and was able to Apparate with him to the only safe place she could think of. That safe place was of course Grimmauld place and it was really the only safe place that for either of them.

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_So there it is, Hermione is an Animagmus here and why not? She is very smart, strong in her magic and with McGonagall's help she could be one. As McGonagall is the only woman Animagmus shown in all the books I felt it was time Hermione was one. I see her as a cat and that is that! Anyway she would keep her head even in appalling situations and help as best she could. _

_As for Lucius acting the way he is as purely evil well he is not, he has not found any way to free Severus and has to keep his cover. He lives in fear even now as Voldemort is not trusting of anyone. He has not done anything but beat Severus, that is all as I see Lucius as a cold cruel man but not a rapist. Nor do I see him as evil because of how he finally tried to protect his family in DH. He has not found out here how to rescue Severus and he does not know what Wormtail is doing as he does not see Wormtail capable of such evil._


	3. At the Order House

Chapter Three: At the Order House:

Sirius Black sat in a chair reading in his spotless sitting room and listening to the Wizarding news on his very muggle stereo. He was a tall well built man with long curly black hair and goatee and clear gray eyes and he was clad in muggle jeans and long sleeved tee. Kreacher, an ancient house elf with large ears and eyes and a vast quantity of white hair growing out of his ears came in and put a cup of tea by his master and stood waiting for his master to address him. A little over a year prior Sirius Black had woke up in his house with a massive headache and had realized his elf had betrayed him. He had gone after said elf and was going to chop him up while he was still breathing when Harry had come and stopped him. For the moment at least, Kreacher had whined and complained calling Sirius every filthy name he could think of and said master Regulus was a good wizard unlike master Sirius and Sirius had the elf by the throat, sword in hand ready to run him through. He demanded to know just what made his brother so good or _so help him he would impale the elf on the door_. It was good Hermione was in the hospital wing or she would have cursed Sirius into the middle of the next week for the way he treated Kreacher.

Kreacher had obeyed his master and told him everything, from what Voldemort had made him do and how he had reported back to Regulus. When Kreacher told Sirius how Regulus ordered him to the lake and drank the potion himself Sirius had nearly fainted on the floor. He found the locket and realized what it was and promised Kreacher once he figured out how to destroy it that Kreacher could watch if not too dangerous. Now a year later master and elf had an understanding, Sirius still had times when he snapped at Kreacher and Kreacher called him a brat more often than not. However they had a common goal now and Kreacher started to help clean out the house from top to bottom. Harry had come up with the idea to make it look as much like a muggle house as possible so that Sirius was not reminded so much of his family here. Now Kreacher stood clad in a clean pillowcase with the Black crest waiting for his master's orders.

"Does master need anything else of Kreacher?" Kreacher asked.

"Just word on Hermione." Sirius replied.

"Kreacher wishes he could help master." Kreacher said meaning it.

"I know Kreacher I know, why don't you go and see about dinner and I will check in with Minerva." Sirius said.

Kreacher bowed and with a crack was gone to the kitchen. Sirius was about to go back to reading when he heard the door to the house open. He walked down the stairs and froze at the sight before him, Hermione Granger was supporting a badly hurt nearly naked emaciated Severus Snape. Sirius had never seen Severus look so horrible as he did then and Sirius really was surprised he was even able to stand. He was covered in blood and painfully thin as if he had been starved. He was dirty and his hair was matted and he was in clear need of a shave. He staggered forward and Sirius moved in to help but Severus snarled and managed to find strength to rear back. Sirius moved back and led them into a room across from the dining room that was set up as a potions room. Hermione got Snape on the table and Sirius went to call Poppy and McGonagall as Hermione started to gently clean up Snape.

"Please stay." Severus said and his plea nearly did Hermione in.

"I will sir, I will stay with you." She said as she summoned a cauldron and rags and filled the cauldron with water and soap and began to clean the blood off of Snape. "I am not going anywhere sir."

"Cold, so cold." Severus murmured.

"I know sir, I am sorry." Hermione replied.

She was joined shortly by Poppy who began to go to work at once, she had brought a healer from St. Mungos, healer Sty who used a combination of magical and muggle healing to great effect. He put in an IV line and started a saline drip, blood replenishing potion and nutrient potion. Then as Poppy started to use potions to clean out the cuts on the front of Snape, Sty went to work with his wand checking over Snape to see what other damage there was. Hermione wanted to leave but Snape grabbed her arm and looked up at her with pleading eyes. Hermione stayed though she wanted to leave to give Severus some privacy though she had seen him completely naked. While Poppy and Sty worked on healing Severus Hermione finished cleaning up the front of him making sure the cloths she used stayed warm.

"I will need to cut his feet open to stitch the muscle layers back together." Sty told Poppy, "it's either that or his feet will be permanently ruined."

"I have never heard of sewing up someone to heal them." Poppy said. "At least not in the magical world."

"Well as he needs surgery to fully heal and magic cannot heal up the deepest cuts this is the only way." Sty said smiling. "Besides I have unicorn hair and lots of it to use, it's cleaned in the milk of a winged mare so it will do wonders for him."

"I do hope so." Poppy said.

"No more pain." Severus moaned as Sty took hold of one of his feet.

"Easy professor I will numb you up so you don't feel this alright?" Sty said taking out a light blue paste and gently applying it to Snape's feet. "See I will not harm you sir."

He went to work cutting open the cuts that Hermione had healed enough for Severus to walk. All she could do was heal the skin and some of the muscle but not enough, Sty took out the unicorn thread and began his work quickly sewing up the damage on Severus. Once he was done he gently helped turn Severus over and Hermione gasped at the damage, she had not seen how badly Severus's back was hurt as she had put the cloak over him to keep him warm. She wanted to cry at the horrible damage, she could see exposed bone of his back and so much blood everywhere. Hermione forced herself to snap out of her horror and began to help clean up Severus's back. She even learned how to sew up Severus watching Sty and soon was helping sew up what she could. Finally Sty was able to close the skin over the wounds with his wand and cover Severus's back with dressings and bandages along with his feet.

"I ah need to put a catheter in, as well he will be in no shape to get up for a few days." Sty said.

"Very well, Severus…" Poppy began to say but saw that Severus had passed out cold from all the damage. "Well that is a relief, I am sure he would have been swearing if he was awake for this."

"I can leave, I am sure he would not want me here for that." Hermione said.

"You will want to get some rest." Poppy told Hermione.

"I can, after I get professor Snape's room ready for him." Hermione said.

She left and found Sirius and he led her up to a guest room and let her go in and supervise his newest elf Winky who was getting the room ready. Once Sirius was gone Hermione looked around and saw how plain the room was and went to work to make it as comfortable as she could. She charmed the blankets and drapes to a dark green and the sheets to sliver. This at least should make Snape comfortable and feel at home at the very least. She knew that Severus would hate being in what he saw as the house of his enemy and this at least would keep him calmer and able to heal. She almost looked forward to his snarky personality. It would mean he was getting better and that was all she could hope for. Finally Poppy came into the room a stretcher with Severus covered in blankets brought in behind her floating in the air. McGonagall followed and nearly smiled at the work Hermione had done.

"Not red and gold?" She asked Hermione.

"I did not want him burst a blood vessel." Hermione said, "after all the work we did on him to die in Azkaban after he killed Sirius then me."

"Yes he would blame Sirius." McGonagall sighed. "They hate each other."

"I know, it's a stupid feud, Harry and Draco and blood brothers compared to these two." Poppy added.

The women carefully tucked Severus into bed and Hermione turned into her cat form to lay by Severus as he slept. She knew that this would help and hopefully he would not have nightmares from what had been done to him. She fell into a deep sleep though with her cat senses she could wake quickly at any noise, unlike in her human form. The next morning she woke and heard the labored breathing of Severus and knew that something was terribly wrong. The potions to clear up his Pneumonia were not working and she knew he needed antibiotics. She walked from the room and saw Harry at the same time he saw her, he grinned and ran and gave her a hug just as Ginny came down the stairs and after Harry finished she hugged her tight. Hermione found herself hugged by the twins then by Ron and the rest of the Weasley family. Finally she broke away to find Poppy in the kitchen with Sty.

"Professor Snape is getting worse." Hermione said looking worried. "His breathing its worse."

"Damn I was afraid of this." Poppy said.

"He will need antibiotics." Sty said.

"I know who can help but um it would mean well I will need to talk to them." Hermione replied.

"Talk to who?" Poppy said.

"I think I will be able to answer that if Hermione is allowed to talk about it." McGonagall said from the doorway. "I have the location if you are ready Miss Granger."

"I am." Hermione said quietly.

Poppy had no idea what was going on but she was sure she would learn soon enough. Hermione left the kitchen and walked up to the sitting room taking a pinch of floo powder and heading out. She had a secret about her parents that very few even in the magical world knew, they worked for MI-6 and Hermione had not been allowed to tell anyone but McGonagall and of course the headmaster. But now Severus Snape was dying and only her parents could save him now. True they were dentists but her mother was a doctor too and her expertise was going to be needed to save another life. Sirius was just getting up when he saw the fire flare and Hermione step through with her parents. Mr. and Mrs. Granger were decent folk he knew and they had even shown up when he got custody of Harry from his aunt and uncle. It seemed they had been trying since they had learned of Harry's aunt and uncle to do what they could to get him out of that situation.

"Ah Sirius good to see you again." Mr. Granger said shaking his hand.

"You too sir." Sirius replied.

"Call me Greg." Greg short for Gregory said.

"Where is the patient?" Mrs. Granger asked.

"This way, if he gets a bit too snarky I could stun him for you." Sirius said.

"You do and I will personally have your balls in a jar on shelf!" Hermione shot at him.  
"Hermione!" Her mother said shocked at this. "That was not nice!"

"Well Sirius is cruel to professor Snape and he does not deserve it!" Hermione replied.

"Um you did not see how ol' Snape treated me in school…"

"So what happened to professor Snape?" Diana Granger said heading off a fight as she was sure Sirius would wind up her daughter. "Hermione gave us a brief list of the injuries he came in with."

"Um I don't really know much but he was in bad shape when he came in last night." Sirius said.

He led them to the room Snape was in and left them with Poppy, McGonagall and Sty who were there working on Severus. The covers had been pushed down to his waist and Mrs. Granger saw how starved and horribly thin he looked. She saw red lines that looked like weeks old healing wounds but she knew that magic had been used to help heal him. She saw his hands were heavily bandaged and his back was too and she could hear him wheezing from where she stood. She walked over and took out her kit and drew some blood from the IV and took out a small bottle. She put a drop of the blood on a Q-tip the a drop of liquid on the Q-tip and frowned as it turned a bright blue. She then took another bottle and put a drop from it onto the Q-tip and it turned a deep blue and she showed a bit of relief. She turned to her bag and drew out a syringe and needle and filled the syringe with another bottle and injected it into Severus's line.

"Well bad news is he has acute Pneumonia." She said as she worked. "Good news is it is bacteria not viral."

"There are two kinds?" Poppy asked.

"Yes, until this century it was believed there was only one kind but there are more, with bacterial I can use antibiotics and in fact was able to start with Penicillin and we can go stronger if we need to. If it was viral it would be harder to treat as anti-viral drugs are not all that strong."

"So he should pull through right?" Hermione asked.

"Yes Hermione he will pull through if that is God's will." Mrs. Granger said looking down at Severus, "it is up to him and God now."

She took vials and checked his lungs before McGonagall tucked him in and they all left the room. Hermione stayed for a moment longer and brushed a lock out of Severus's face. She then left and went to breakfast feeling very hungry. She ate well and she talked to Harry, Fred and George who were in awe of what Hermione's parents did for a living. Finally after breakfast Hermione headed up to the room she shared with Ginny to get a comb to comb the mats out of Severus's hair when Ron confronted her. He did not look happy and Hermione glared at him expecting some sort of fight from him. She was right as he had no month to brain filter and some days she wondered if he even had a brain at times.

"Why did you not tell me about your parents?" Ron asked.

"What?" Hermione replied not expecting that question.

"You could have trusted me!" Ron said hotly.

"What I was bound I could not say anything!" Hermione said.

"Ron you can be such a prat." Fred said walking up to his brother grabbing his arm.

"Yea you really should be nice." George replied grabbing his other arm.

"But she should have…."

"Come with us…"

"Little bro…"

Fred and George dragged a protesting Ron off and Hermione went into the room Severus was still asleep and Hermione took a seat and carefully started to work on his matted hair. She was careful not to cause any pain and after an hour she finished and smiled as Severus looked so much better. She finished and gently brushed a hand across his cheek and he stirred and nearly smiled. She left him making sure to close the door behind him letting him sleep on in peace…

**x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x**

_Poor Severus I know, he does not deserve the hurt he went through. I have gathered from the missing limbs and eyes and such found in the magical world that magic can go only so far with healing. That is why I brought in a healer that would know that and used both magical and muggle techniques. Now as for Hermione's parents, there are clues (at least to me) that her parents are spies. The most glaring is in Harry's fifth year when she shows up at Grimmauld place stating she did not like skiing anyway. Why would her parents just drop her off like that when we know they care as they were there with her in Diagon Alley in her second year? There are many other times that things did not seem to fit as it were but I will leave it at that for now._


	4. Enter the Headmaster

Chapter Four: Enter the Headmaster:

Albus Dumbledore had come to Grimmauld place as soon as he was allowed. He had spent the first three days waiting for his poor boy to wake up, he had gone in and saw how sick and thin the boy looked and when he heard about the abuse done to him he had wanted only to kill Voldemort slowly for what he had done to Severus. Finally Severus had woke up and Dumbledore waited, he knew if he went in to see the boy Severus would not speak to him. No he had to wait until Severus was ready to speak to him, it was not long coming as Severus knew he was here and reluctantly said the headmaster could come speak to him. Dumbledore walked into the room taking in the very Slytherin feel of the room. Before he had gone in he had seen the Weasley twins and had spoke to them.

"If you could keep anyone from eavesdropping I would be most grateful." He said conspiratorially to the twins.

"Yes sir we can do that." Fred said.

"We will stand guard for you and professor Snape sir." George added.

"Thank you boys." Dumbledore said a twinkle in his eyes.

Now in the room he closed the door and saw his boy sitting up with pillows behind him clad in one of his charcoal gray nightshirts his arms folded over his chest. He looked pale and sickly but still so much a child as he glared at the bedspread and refused to look up at the headmaster. Dumbledore walked up and sat down next to him and saw how very thin Severus still looked though by Molly's reports she was feeding him well and making sure he took all his potions. Severus could not meet Dumbledore's eyes and he looked down at the green of the bedspread instead. Dumbledore took out his tin of lemon drops and ate one letting Severus compose himself before he spoke.

"I am sorry headmaster." Severus said still not able to look up.

"No my boy don't be, it is I who should be sorry, for letting you go back to that monster time and time again." Dumbledore replied softly.

"I failed he broke me and I failed you!" Severus said starting to cry.

"No my boy you never did fail me, hush now." Dumbledore took Severus into his arms and let the poor boy cry on his shoulder. "You have never failed me my boy never, hush now."

Yet Severus was unable to stop crying and he continued to cry as Dumbledore held him and tried to sooth him the best he could. He let Severus cry on his shoulder and did his best to calm him. Yet all that Severus seemed able to do was cry, to cry for what he had done so many years before when he had joined Voldemort. He cried for the death of his first and truest friend and he cried for all the years that his guilt had built up inside him. He seemed unable to stop and continued for a good long while his tears not for himself, no they were not they were for others he had lost due to his actions.

Dumbledore knew the pain his poor boy was going through, he knew the terrible guilt he carried around and he had tried so hard with him over the years. Yes he had made mistakes, he knew he was not perfect letting Severus go back to Voldemort had been one of those mistakes. Yet he knew Severus would have with or with out his permission and come back to report to him. Dumbledore rubbed Severus's back and sat on the bed so he could hold him closer and let him know he cared about him, that someone in this dark and dreary world still wanted him around and did not care if he could spy or not. Finally Severus was able to calm down enough to speak but still he refused to look Dumbledore in the eyes as he was so ashamed of what he had done.

"You will wish to send me to Azkaban now." Severus said shocking Dumbledore, "I am of no use to you any more."

"Oh Severus you will always be my boy, I promised you when I took you in that I would care for you no matter what." Dumbledore said tears in his eyes, "you are my boy and no-one will take you away from me ever again."

"I am of no use to you!" Severus said trying to pull away from Dumbledore but finding he could not.

"Don't you say that, you will always be of use to me, I don't care if you could teach or brew ever again. I care about you my boy, I love you Severus as my son."

"I don't understand why, I have done terrible things, horrible evil things."

"You did not kill your own flesh and blood." Dumbledore said, "I know one who did."

"I got Lily and James killed! That damn prophecy it's all my fault!" Severus said starting to cry again. "When Harry finds out he will kill me."

"Severus what did you do when you found Voldemort was going to go after an innocent child?"

"I-I came to you, I-I was willing to l-let you kill me sir." Severus replied.

"I know, I know my boy I know." Dumbledore said softly, "what if Voldemort had said he was going to go after Neville?"

"I would have warned you sir" Severus said truthfully, "the dark lord had broken his promise to me, he always allowed me to spare the children. He had promised never to harm a child to me and then…"

"Then he did, Severus you need to know something about me, something I should have shared with you years ago. About Grindelwald and myself." Dumbledore said.

He helped Severus get comfortable and began to tell of his youth, how his sister had been roughed up so badly by muggle boys she had gone insane. His father had attacked in rage the muggle boys but to save his daughter from St. Mungos insane ward he had refused to state the reason of his attack. He had gone to Azkaban and died shortly after. Dumbledore had gone to live in Godric's Hallow with his mother, brother and sister. He had gone to school and was going to tour the world when his mother died trying to make a potion that she had hoped would control the magical outbursts of Adrianna. Dumbledore had then had to stay home to care for his family.

This was when he had met Grindelwald and they had become friends. Grindelwald had weaved tales of wizard-kind ruling the world and never again would there be war nor would any starve muggle or wizard alike. Dumbledore had believed him, until his brother had spoke to him and told him Grindelwald had lied, a duel had taken place and Adrianna had fallen dead to the floor. Grindelwald had fled and Dumbledore stayed around long enough for his brother to graduate from Hogwarts. Then Dumbledore had left and roamed the world for a few dark and lonely years hating what he had done and wishing only that it had been himself that had died. Dumbledore paused in his tale and Severus looked up at him stunned at what he was being told.

"It was not your fault." Severus said.

"It was I did kill my sister, she had a magical outburst so strong it stopped her heart. No-one cast as spell against her but because of me she did die." Dumbledore said quietly.

"How did you come to teach then?" Severus asked him.

"Oh well I was wandering and a storm came, I climbed to the top of a high hill and raged at God told him off if I recall."

"That was…"  
"Foolish of me yes I know." Dumbledore said smiling sadly. "I was hit with a flash of light and I fell from that rock and landed on the forest floor, was unhurt but stunned. Then she came to me, my sister, told me I needed to make something of my life, said she forgave me."

"So you came and took a job at Hogwarts." Severus said quietly.

"Yes and in time my brother came too, to watch over me he said. His wife had died and his children were in America, they still refuse to come over here." Dumbledore said. "Too many dark lords they said, so I taught for many years…"

"You defeated Grindelwald." Severus said.

"Yes, I had to kill him in the end, I did not want to but there was no other way for it." Dumbledore said, "the years went on and then you came to Hogwarts. You were quiet, a good student and well if I had known, if you had said anything about those boys I would have stopped their bullying."

"I was able to handle them, it made school a bit more fun to take them on." Severus said, "you were Gryffindor sir, I did not feel I could trust you at that time."

"I understand my boy I do, when you joined Voldemort, yes I knew you did though it was kept secret I mourned your loss. But then you came back and risked your life to do what was right."

"She still died." Severus said starting to cry again.

"That was not your fault my boy." Dumbledore said quietly. "You are not to blame, you did all you could. You are mine, I adopted you after the ministry was going to try and take you from Hogwarts. I made sure they could not take you then and will not take you now."

"I am marked, I am evil I bare the mark of a dark lord!" Severus said letting fresh tears fall.

"I will work on getting that mark off you." Dumbledore said, "now you need to rest, you are still unwell."

Severus dared not argue he was wore out from his emotional outburst and he was still so sick. He did not understand why he was so sick now, he was being well cared for and should be getting better. He lay down and Dumbledore tucked him in gently and closed the curtains. He kissed Severus's forehead and cast a few charms to let him know if Severus had any nightmares. He left the room looking tired and careworn as he was really worried about his boy. He saw Sirius in the sitting room and walked in and sat down across from him, here was another boy hurting too and he felt sad that he had let him down as well.

"Headmaster." Sirius said, "how is, how is Snape?"

"He will live but he has been through hell Sirius." Dumbledore said fixing Sirius with a look that made him squirm a bit in his seat. "He does not deserve it. Nor did you deserve what happened to you."

"Headmaster?" Sirius said surprised that Dumbledore would even care he had spent twelve years in Azkaban and still was kept here in Grimmauld place.

"I trusted the minister a bit too much, and if I had done the right thing Harry would have been raised with you." Dumbledore said looking so old now. "I was wrong, you never should have had to endure such a hell as that."

"It's not your fault, if only I had been the secret keeper than maybe James and Lily would be alive now." Sirius said sadly.

"You gave the task to Peter because you trusted him and he was a dear friend." Dumbledore said, "I would have done the same thing you know. You showed yourself a true friend then."

"I still feel I was a fool to trust him." Sirius replied.

"You are not." Dumbledore said. "Sirius I do fear I need to ask help with one more thing, you have done so much for all of us and I hate to have to add another thing to what you are already doing."

"All I seem to be doing is running an inn so to speak sir." Sirius said looking glum.

"I know you wish to fight, I know this but Sirius you are needed alive and I refuse to loose you too." Dumbledore said, "you are so brave and so needed at this time you know this. Draco Malfoy does not wish to take the mark."

"Would Voldemort force him?" Sirius asked.

"Yes I think he would, to keep control of Lucius I fear he would, I know you had, have a hard time with your family but if you could offer your home as a safe haven for him and his mother I would be very grateful." Dumbledore said.

Now Sirius did not hate all his family as he stated time and again, the only two people in his family he got along with (before Dora Tonks had come along) was Andromeda and Narcissa. Narcissa had defended him in her own way and kept him as safe as she could at school without going against her own house. She even sent gifts to Andromeda secretly for Christmas after she had married Ted Tonks. To find out she was against Voldemort did not surprise him in the least. He had despaired for a time after she married Malfoy and seemed to support Voldemort.

"Very well, let them come, the more in my house the merrier it seems." Sirius said a small smile twitching his lips. "Guess I better put up bets to see how long it takes Draco and Harry to get into a fight."

"You better not goad them." Dumbledore warned him. "You are Harry's Godfather and you will set the example."

"Yes sir, guess I better prepare two more bedrooms." Sirius replied. "I can convert the attic, nothing left up there anyway."

"Good, they will be here in a week." Dumbledore said getting up as Sirius did, "thank you again."

"Of course sir, you know after this war I could run an inn here, seems to be a popular place." Sirius said grinning. "Oh when is Harry coming?"

"I will get him today, I wish I did not have to leave him there, but the blood wards…"

"I know, I still don't know why Lily set them, her sister is a horrible person." Sirius said.

"They I think were a last resort, I had to move fast, I thought you were guilty and had to get him somewhere safe, now he has to be there once a year and thankfully this is his time there." Dumbledore replied.

"Yes sir, he has turned out well despite those people, that is Lily in him and a bit of James but mostly Lily I must admit." Sirius said, "not only did Lily tame James she left a lot of her in Harry too."

"That she did, if you will excuse me I do have work to do my boy." Dumbledore said getting up.

Dumbledore knew Sirius was not very happy about all this but he would do what was right. He really was a decent fellow when he wanted to be. His early home life had been terrible and his being in Azkaban had not helped at all. Still he did deep inside have a good heart and liked to help, accept for one slimy evil wicked Severus Snape (as Sirius kept stating). As Dumbledore left Sirius was hoping Severus got better soon because he was looking forward to pranking him.

**x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x**

_Like I said Dumbledore is good in this fiction and yes Snape would act this way. He feels guilty for not being able to keep spying for the headmaster. However here Dumbledore is like a father to Severus and he wants Severus to know that. He needed a shock like this to realize that Severus is really deeply hurting and needs his love and care. Dumbledore is smart enough to know he has made mistakes and he deserved be allowed to make things better for Severus and ultimately himself._

_As for Sirius I think if he had been given more of a chance and had been worked with he would be willing to help others. As for Lily setting the blood wards, well she was smart and set up the wards in case the worst did happen. She was not planning on what happened to happen but it did and Harry lived because of her and James's sacrifice and her brains._


	5. The Evil Mark

Chapter Five: The Evil Mark:

Poppy frowned as she looked down at Severus who lay still in bed too weak to move. The tests that Diana Granger had done for muggle diseases had come back negative and the tests for the magical diseases had come back negative as well. However Snape was not getting better, he was getting weaker and weaker and Poppy was at a loss as to what to do for Severus. Poppy walked from the room looking defeated and saw Hermione with McGonagall. She relayed the news to the witches and Hermione excused herself and headed to the library in the house to see what she could look up. She saw Ginny there who looked up and saw Hermione looked worried.

"How is professor Snape?" Ginny asked Hermione.

"Not good, the infection is gone, his wounds are healed but he is getting weaker and weaker." Hermione said looking through the books.

"Is he lucid?" Ginny asked.

"Most of the time." Hermione said pausing in her search to look over at the other girl. "Why?"

"His mark, it has to be the dark mark." Ginny said, "in fact I am sure of it."

"How can you be so sure?" Hermione asked Ginny.

"Well when Tom's diary got hold of me my first year when I could think still I noticed I was getting weak. At the time I thought it was just nerves from being away from home the first time. But it wasn't, it was him, it was Tom."

"So the mark that Riddle gave to professor Snape could be killing him?" Hermione said thoughtfully, "I need to speak to the headmaster about this."

She left the room to find the headmaster and was relieved to see him walking to the room that Severus was in. It was clear he cared very much about Snape as he had been here everyday and stayed as long as he could. He walked into the room and took a seat by Severus who was sleeping now but stirred and woke looking up at Dumbledore with dull tired eyes. He looked so gray and fragile and it was clear he was on the verge of death. Hermione entered the room and walked over to the headmaster and saw Snape raise his head and glare at her but he was too weak to keep his head up.

"Headmaster I was speaking to Ginny and she believes that the dark mark is causing this." Hermione said.

"Really what made her think, ah yes the poor girl the diary." Dumbledore said in realization of the cause to Severus's decline. "The thing is how to remove the mark without killing Severus here."

"You could cut the bloody arm off." Severus offered.

"If this is cursed the curse has spread through your body." Dumbledore replied, "we have to remove the mark. I will bring Filius and Argus here, they should be able to help. Harry needs to see what he can do."

"Potter cannot help, Parseltongue was not used to brand us." Severus said closing his eyes for a moment then looking up at Dumbledore then over at Hermione. "Voldemort used dark magic to brand us, dark magic from the wells of time."

"Very well, you rest, I will bring Flitwick and Argus here." Dumbledore said.

He left the room and headed back to Hogwarts while Hermione helped change the IV bags still feeding nutrition potions to Severus and make sure he was warm as possible. Then instead of leaving the room she took a seat across from him and took out a book to read while he tried to stay awake. He was too weak to do so and comforted by someone staying by him he fell fast asleep. She looked up as Dumbledore came back with Flitwick and Filch with Mrs. Norris who squirmed to get out of his arms onto the bed, once there she walked up to Severus and rubbed her dust colored head against his. He stirred and woke and looked into her yellow eyes. She let out a small mew and he smiled and stroked her weakly with one hand. Severus looked up at Filch with dull eyes.

"You come to read my last rites to me?" Severus said softly.

"No, but if you truly wish that mark gone I can help, it will take a bit of magic and the word of God." Filch replied.

"I too can help, with both of us I believe that mark will be gone in no time." Flitwick said walking up to Severus and climbing up onto the bed to kneel by Severus's left arm. "May I look at it Severus?"

"Yes you don't have to ask." Severus snapped.

"I never would take advantage of you, that is why I never asked to look at it before now." Flitwick replied gently pushing up Severus's sleeve. "It is remarkable though, may I ask a few questions about it?"

"What do you wish to know?" Severus asked grateful that Flitwick treated him with respect. Then again he always had, in school he had rescued him after Potter tried to fully humiliate him, if he had not come by at that time what would have happened, well Severus did not like dwelling on that thank you. "You never did ask in school about…"

"I thought you would hate to speak of it, if you still do not wish to Severus."

"I do not mind, you could have always asked me anything you wanted to." Severus replied.

"Well first question does it really turn red when he summons you?" Flitwick asked.

"Yes it does and it bloody hurts too!" Severus snapped.

"You will be glad to be rid of this, though it is well made." Flitwick said scanning the mark with his wand and eyes both. "The snake is very detailed, though it is a slave mark, if all goes well I do believe we can be rid of this today."

"I can give you communion first." Filch said, "it will make it easier for the mark to be removed."

They started at once and Dumbledore left them to their work. He walked out and found Neville Longbottom there with Harry. This did not surprise him at all, Neville was a great Herbologist and he was here to offer his services. He was one of the few who could properly grow Athelas or Kingsfoil, this was not a plant out of the fertile minds of a great writer, it really existed and was wonderful healing herb. It was used mostly in boiling water to help brighten the mood and clear the soul of the person affected by great evil. Sirius benefited from it as he still had scars from his time in Azkaban around the Dementor wraiths. The boys were a contrast, Harry was getting tall and he was lean like his father, he had short messy black hair, intense green eyes behind glasses and he was clad in jeans and a tee shirt. Neville was shorter and he was pudgy with a good natured round face with brown eyes and hair.

"How is he sir?" Harry asked Dumbledore. "Will he be alright?"

"He is in good hands, if the mark can be removed he should live." Dumbledore replied.

"I have the Athelas ready sir whenever you say the word." Neville said.

"Of course, thank you Neville." Dumbledore said. "When Professor Flitwick and Mr. Filch are finished you many go in with it."

"Thank you sir." Neville said.

Dumbledore stayed as he was really worried and Harry retreated with Neville to the sitting room and Fred and George to their credit did all they could to distract him with a game of exploding Snap. Harry felt awful in how he had treated Snape and he wished he had been kinder to him. He resolved to apologize if the man would let him. Finally after what seemed like hours Flitwick and Filch came out of the room and Filch walked up to Dumbledore and handed him a crystal that had once been clear but now held a dark vapor inside. They had done it, the mark was now gone form Snape's arm and it looked as if he would live.

"We will want to keep this here for now, Severus may have a use for it." Flitwick said.

"Of course, I think I know as you do what Severus wants to do what that." Dumbledore replied.

"Will he make it sir?" Harry asked getting up from where he had been playing cards.

"He will make it, he is tired but the worst is over now." Flitwick said, "stubborn as a mule he is."

"Thank you professor, Mr. Filch." Harry said meaning it.

Later Severus woke to a smell that he had not smelled since he was a boy, he opened his eyes and saw Mrs. Weasley coming into the room with a plate. He sat up his eyes going wide at what she had, he must have in his weakened state spoke of the treat his mother had made for him. When he was a boy his mother had been friends with an American witch. One time when Severus was sick she had made cinnamon rolls, iced them and brought them over. Severus liked them so much his mother learned how to make them for him. When she died he had never had them again, until now it seemed. Snape managed to sit up and looked up at Mrs. Weasley forcing himself not to give into his emotion.

"How did you know?" Severus asked.

"You spoke of how your mother took care of you and made these." Mrs. Weasley said, "I had to ask around but I found a recipe and I do hope they are good."

"They smell wonderful." Severus said taking one and biting into it savoring the wonderful taste. "These are perfect, thank you."

"Of course dear, after all you have done for us it is the least I could do." Mrs. Weasley said.

"Do you have time to stay with me?" Severus asked.

"Of course Severus." Mrs. Weasley replied.

She sat with him while he ate and he talked to her about his childhood and his family. She knew he came from a working class town in the north of England but that was all. He told her how he had grown up in two worlds, one was the harsh dreary streets of Spinners end, the other was the world of his mother, where he learned languages and magic and how to speak proper English. From his father he learned the art of defense and how to make due with what you had. His parents were poor and aside from a few problems with his mother's parents his home life had been good. When he went to Hogwarts he was a small scrappy boy that could take good care of himself and he proved it even against four boys, all but two times. He told of how his parents had died, first his father of cancer then his mother and how he had given to the darkness and joined Voldemort.

"It's not your fault." Mrs. Weasley said softly. "You were drawn to his lies, and what he promised."

"I am a murderer, I killed people Molly, several people." Severus said unable to look up at her.

"We are at war, in war good people do things they regret, I know you did what you did because you believe it was right at the time." Mrs. Weasley said gently. "He made a mistake and threatened your childhood friend."

"And children, I helped him gain power and the terror, oh Molly I am a damned soul!" Severus said tearing up.

"No, don't you think like that, all you have done for us, you are not evil you are a good man and if it takes me all my days to get you to believe that then that is what I will do." Mrs. Weasley said gently.

She took the empty plate and put it on the table and seeing Severus was still tired she had him lie down and she covered him up. She stayed by him until he fell asleep and then she left the room. Hermione took this as her cue to go in, turn to her cat form and jump up on the bed and curl up by him. Soon both man and cat were fast asleep and Severus was able to sleep well all through the night…

**x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x**

_I know what many are thinking, Filch a priest? Well why not? I think he would fit very nicely at the pulpit on Sunday after his work in the school with a fiery sermon. As for Cinnamon rolls those are American not English. Very good too, if anyone wants a recipe I got one with raisins in it too. Very good I recommend them. As for Ginny putting things together as she has well she was possessed by that diary so she would know in part what it feels like. I like Ginny, she should have been allowed to do more in the books but she was not alas. At least here she can do more! _


	6. Turn to the Start

Chapter Six: Turn to the Start:

Harry knew it was time, he had to see Snape and he had so much to apologize for. He knocked softy on the door to Snape's room and Snape's voice called out. Harry opened the door and nervously entered the room and barely registered the Slytherin feel of the room, he just had eyes for the man propped up with pillows in the large bed. Harry closed the door and walked up to Snape very much aware of the man's eyes boring into him. Harry rubbed his hands on his robes and stood before Snape looking humbled and sorrowful as to what had been done to Snape. Mrs. Weasley had given him the barest of detail of what had been done to Snape but Harry was smart and knew that far worse had happen than what Mrs. Weasley had told him. He cleared his throat, took a deep breath and began.

"I am an ass." Harry said looking up at Snape who still said not a word just glared at Harry. "I treated you horribly and disrespectfully and I was wrong. I should have never been such a complete idiot and risked your life as I did more than once sir. If you wish to hex me or throw something at me I would deserve it."

"Do you want me to Potter?" Snape asked.

"If it would make you feel better sir." Harry said looking down at his shoes. "I really am sorry for everything sir. You really are brilliant and a hero sir."

"Pity Potter?" Snape snarled.

"No sir, never, I, I admire you sir you are so brave to go back to Voldemort as you did knowing what could happen." Harry said looking Snape in the eye and opening his mind to Snape. "I doubt I could have done what you did sir."

"I was caught, I messed up and now the dark lord has no spy." Snape snarled.

"So?" Harry said then he bit his lip and added hastily, "you have more to offer than skills as a spy sir."

Snape looked up into Harry's eyes and found that Harry did not even try to block him but let him deep into his mind. He found Harry was speaking the truth and more, Harry respected him? No oh sweet Merlin he saw Snape as, some sort of bloody warrior hero! Snape wanted to snarl and snap at Harry, to order him to leave and never show his face to him again. However he found he could not and he sat there and glared at the boy before him instead. Harry let him, Snape had been through so much pain and suffering and he truly felt he had caused part of that. He felt true guilt for that and wanted Snape to know he was so very sorry.

"I, I am sorry for never giving you a chance and treated you as badly as my father did." Harry said, he had spent time with Remus who told him how James and Sirius and yes even he had been in school with Peter.

"He was not like that once he married your mother." Severus said softly. "Or after the so called prank in sixth year. He was actually decent."

"Then why do you hate him so?" Harry asked, "is it because you loved my mum and he married her?"

"No, I should tell you to get out but you will just get the truth from that bloody werewolf." Severus sighed meaning Remus of course. "I did love your mother but I knew she would never be happy with me, she did love your father. I am not a selfish man Pot… Harry I wanted her to be happy you understand this do you not?"

"Yea, yea I do, if Ginny fell in love with someone besides me it would hurt but I would make sure he took good care of her." Harry said showing surprising maturity.

"So you do understand, never thought there was much between your ears boy." Severus said narrowing his eyes at Harry's grin. "You brat!"

"Yes sir, I know I have been to you, and you can call me that anytime you wish you know." Harry said grinning meaning it. "It fits, after everyone keeps fawning over me for living and forgetting it was my mother who got rid of Voldemort that first time not me."

"You wanted to know why I was upset with your father, it's so stupid now, it does not as everyone think go back to our time in school, no he promised me he would keep Lily your mother safe. When she died I blamed him, for getting her killed, I suppose that was to alleviate my own guilt."

"It's not your fault sir." Harry said quietly, "Dumbledore told me everything, about how you heard part of the prophecy and when you heard what Voldemort would do you went to Dumbledore."

"Your parents are still dead because of me." Severus said, "I would have expected you to wish to kill me."

"No sir, you are not to blame, you believed in him, his lies and his promises. It's not your fault sir." Harry said once more showing a level of maturity that humbled Snape.

"You know brat you are most like your mother you know."

"Yes, Remus is happy I am and Sirius sulks, says I am being ruined." Harry said smirking, "I hexed him for that you know."

"Did you really? He is your Godfather." Snape said then glared at Harry, "you are not of age brat."

"I know sir, but well it was accidental magic sir, honest like the time I blew up my aunt Marge." Harry said.

"You really blew up your aunt?" Severus replied, "Merlin you are lucky to still be alive."

"Well I got a letter from her, seems when she got back to her normal state she did not wish to forget and was really happy I was not a delinquent. Seems she would rather have a wizard as a sort-of relative than a criminal,"

"Smart woman, now are you still working on your Occulumency?" Snape asked.

"Yes sir, that and potions, I found out who the Half-Blood Prince is sir."

"How do you like him now?" Snape asked.

"I think he is brilliant, you are so very smart and Slytherin to leave that for me to find."

"I did no such thing!" Snape snapped.

"Well you should write potions books sir, I mean if you did think about how much better potions would be for all." Harry said.

"Go away Potter now." Snape said softly.

Harry scurried out thankfully and took his good cheer with him, how could that boy be so cheerful even after loosing his parents and for ten years of his life kept like a dog by his relations? That mystified and irritated Severus beyond belief, well at least he could rest. However after Harry had come Narcissa and Draco came to visit him, though he was tired he was glad to see them though he had to warn Draco if he did not stop acting as if he were glass he would hex him and put his bones in a potion. He of course had no wand now and he was sure Draco knew that but the boy to his credit did not dare say or even give that thought.

The next day Severus was declared well enough to get up out of bed by Poppy. He had felt well for days and hated only being allowed only to go to the toilet and bath and was grateful he was allowed up. He got up early and got dressed, he saw clean clothes laid out for him and put on his breeches and white shirt, he saw a new pair of heavy buckled black dragonskin boots and frowned having a very good idea who got those for him. He put them on and was surprised he they were so comfortable and fit him perfectly. He took up the black robes and saw they were made of the best wool and had sliver buttons and were a bit loose, then again he had lost much weight and these seemed to be designed with that in mind.

He walked out and carefully down stairs dreading having to face Black but not wanting to stay in his room anymore. He didn't even have a wand how was he to defend himself? Fred and George must have realized he would feel defenseless and so they tactfully "joined him on the stairs to the dining room" but he knew they were there to protect him. He took a seat at the long dining room table far from Sirius who just grunted at him and at once his bowl was filled with porridge and a plate of sausage, eggs and muffins were put before him. He tucked into it as the rest of those here filed in, Draco sat across from him with his mother as Fred and George were sitting on each side of him filling the role of personal bodyguards. Harry came in and took a seat as did Ron and Severus nearly smiled at seeing Hermione.

"Good morning sir." Harry said quietly.

"Potter." Snape said in greeting.

"Good morning sir, it's good to see you up." Hermione said smiling brightly.

"It is good to be up, but I am not much use." Severus replied.

"Well if you feel up to it you can start brewing a little today." Mrs. Weasley said coming into the room. "But only a little, you are not to overdo it or you will face Poppy again."

"Of course Molly." Severus said then he looked from Draco to Harry a stern look on his face. "I would like to thank who ever got me the new boots and robes, that was thoughtful."

"I got the boots sir, thought you would need them." Harry said blushing, "I owe you sir, I always will."

"I got your robes, I would have got you a cloak but seems you have one already." Draco said trying not to laugh. "I feel guilty about laughing about my father with pink hair but it is an image I cannot get out of my mind. I am upset at what he did to you."

"So you know what was done to me?" Severus said paling.

"That Voldemort tortured you and beat you like a cur?" Harry said.

"Potter! Enough of using his name!" Severus snarled at him.

"Sorry sir, I could call him a---"

"You do and I will wash your mouth out young man!" Molly warned him.

"Sorry Mrs. Weasley." Harry said then turning to Severus, "we know he beat you and used hexes, that was evil of him sir."

"Yes it was, but what Lucius did, well he was concerned for you Draco." Severus said.

"He bloody beat you." Sirius growled getting Molly to glare at him.

"Well yes but he only wished to know where his son was, of course I did not know so I did not give that up." Severus said. "Not like everything else that was bloody drug out of me."

Harry knew now was the time to steer things away from the gloom that was coming over the potions master. Harry had gone to Gringotts and the goblins had gone over all he would inherit fully when he turned seventeen in a few weeks time. He had two houses, a small castle it seemed and his father and grandfather had carefully invested the money and he was it seemed extremely wealthy. There was a small box that did not however belong to the family, that was a box it seemed his mother was holding for Severus Snape though Harry had no idea as to why or what was in it. Harry brought out the box and handed it to Severus who looked at it then at Harry and back to the box his black eyes going wide as a key appeared on the top and his mother's name appeared below that.

"How did you get this?" Severus asked Harry.

"I don't know, my mum must have got it sir." Harry replied. "It's yours and well you should have what is yours sir."

"I never knew that Lily, your mother had this." Severus said carefully opening the box, he found some letters, some pieces of jewelry and… "Me mum's wand." Severus breathed taking it out holding it up. "Her first wand too, she used her spare only used this one once."

"She would wish you to use it Severus." Narcissa said.

"Yes I know, thank you Harry." Severus said and Harry blushed again, really could not the boy take a complement? "You can be useful even if you are a brat!"

"Don't you call my godson a brat Snape……."

"Sirius it's alright I told him he could, after all he has done for us?" Harry said.

"Fine, but he is still ugly and greasy and slimly and…"

"Better that than brainless like you Siri." Narcissa said calmly taking a sip of tea. "Besides I do not think Severus is ugly at all."

"Why don't you marry him then?" Sirius shot at her.

"Oh dear not again." Remus muttered from where he was seated eating his breakfast.

"Cousin if you wish to remain in one peace you will shut up." Narcissa said going for her wand.

"You cannot tell me what to do Cissy, I will not listen."

Narcissa aimed her wand at him and he disappeared and ran out of the room as Padfoot. Narcissa walked out calmly and Draco just continued to eat as if this was something he was used to seeing. Harry actually felt sorry for Lucius Malfoy for a moment but just a moment. He heard some screams, a cry of pain then silence. Narcissa came back and took a seat but Sirius did not return and Harry did not ask her what she had done. Draco smirked at Harry who just shrugged and concentrated on his breakfast. He would find out later that Narcissa had put her cousin in a full body bind and hung him on the wall. Kreacher would find him and rescue him but not before he laughed at his master's predicament. Too bad things would not be as humorous as they were at this moment.

**x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x**

_Harry is fully in character here, once he had learned the truth of Snape in DH he really did feel bad for him. Here he is able to apologize and Snape does accept it, he would too as he is not a cold heartless man, he could not be after he looked into the mind of the boy. Harry is really very cheerful too, I mean even after all he has gone through he stays pretty upbeat for all that. This of course will annoy Severus too as he cannot see how Harry could be this happy with a dark lord wanting to kill him. But that is the way Harry is._

_For fellow Americans who do not know Porridge is oats or other grains boiled in milk or water and usually slightly sweetened. Muffins here are not the American type which are more like glorified cupcakes, they are what we here in the states call English Muffins. For those that don't know what they are they are round bread-like with holes in it you can see after you cut them open. I like mine with real butter (margarine if I have to eat it) and peanut butter too, lots of peanut butter._


	7. Regarding New Positions

Chapter Seven: Regarding New Positions:

Severus was restless and hating being caged up as he was. Despite the fact Dumbledore had put a Fidilus charm on his home in Spinner's End and he could go there to look through his books he was not able to go anywhere else and he hated being cooped up in Grimmauld place and his house. Sirius did not dare gloat about the fact he could go out as Narcissa would not allow him. However the truth of the matter when Severus got down to it was the fact he knew he was mentally not ready to go out among people. He had started to have panic attacks and he flashed back not just to the horrors he had suffered at the hands of Voldemort when he was found out but other things too. He was an emotional and mental wreck and only brewing made him feel normal.

He was grateful that Harry did not bother him too much, he did ask for help with potions when he was doing his homework but other than that he left Severus alone. Draco did his best to avoid Harry but Harry did not seem to really want to bother Draco and it seemed the young Malfoy prince had been humbled a bit. There had been one fight between Draco and Hermione but that was expected and of course Draco lost, he ended up with a bloody nose once more and even Narcissa sided with Hermione as Draco had insulted Hermione. Severus looked up from his brewing as the door to the potions room opened and Dumbledore entered. He waited while Severus counted the stirs on a potion then set it to simmer, he had to talk to Severus and he hoped he understood why he was doing what he was doing. He expected Severus to get upset, no he hoped he would, after all that would show some of the fighting spirit coming back.

"How are you doing my boy?" Dumbledore asked Severus.

"I hate being locked up here but then I know if I went out I would make a bloody fool of myself by breaking down." Severus said. "I feel so weak and useless!"

"You are not Severus, very few have the skills you do, your potions are needed, none can come close to you."

"Who is taking over for Slytherin?" Severus asked calmly, too calmly for Dumbledore's liking.

"Andromeda Tonks she is you know very skilled at potions and will keep the snakes in line." Dumbledore said, "I am sorry my boy but you cannot go back to teaching, not right away not after what you have been through. I want you to take this year off, rest or brew or torment Sirius but you have to get well."

"I am well Headmaster." Severus replied silkily.

"Physically yes, mentally and emotionally no, no you are not." Dumbledore said and he saw the look of despair deep in Severus's eyes and he walked up to put a hand on his shoulder. "I am not putting you on a shelf please understand this. I fear I have asked far too much of you and what happened to you is my blame to take."

"I am a bloody burden, Black hates me and does not want me here." Severus said.

"He has his pride, but he would not let you stay if he did not know it was right and just to do so." Dumbledore replied, "even he knows you suffered greatly for our side, far too much for my liking."

"I deserved it." Severus replied.

"No! You did not, if you ever say such a thing again I will be very unhappy with you young man!" Dumbledore said sternly.

"So I stay here and brew and that is it?" Severus said softly, "that all you want of me?"

"Well you could write those potions books you have wanted to all these years."

"How did you know of that?" Severus asked.

"Oh I have my ways, and you talk in your sleep when you are sick." Dumbledore said a twinkle in his eyes he took a seat and took out the paper.

"So you are going to stay today to make sure I don't do something stupid?" Severus snarled at Dumbledore.

"Well I thought you might like the company." Dumbledore replied.

"Meddling old fool." Severus muttered softly thinking Dumbledore could not hear him, that of course was not true as Dumbledore smiled behind the paper.

When Snape had first come to Dumbledore all those years before Dumbledore had been angry with the young man and said things he regretted later. He had tried since then to show the boy he did care, oh he made mistakes true and he felt badly for that but he was a man and as such he knew that he probably would still make many. But he loved the surely snappish boy before him, Severus was such a good man and did care deeply, even those times he swore up and down he hated Harry Potter and could not stand him. It was simply not true, he cared for the boy and pushed him away as that scared him deeply just how much he cared. He was not mean to Harry to keep up his spying, he could have gained trust and been good to the boy and still been a spy, no he feared the rejection that he knew would come when Harry learned of what he had done. Then Harry had learned and he had been upset but then after Dumbledore spoke to him how Severus felt Harry had felt shame and guilt. Now it seemed Harry was doing all he could to make up for his behavior to Severus and serve him willingly.

"I spoke with young Draco Malfoy." Dumbledore said.

"Hnn." Severus replied.

"He is really very smart, so much like his mother, seems he takes after his father more in looks. Mrs. Malfoy has worked hard with him, but with a father who spoiled him a bit much well I could understand him being the way he is."

"Believe me I have had that brat over my knee more times than I like to count. As his godfather Narcissa made sure I had that right. What he got away with around his father I would not tolerate, after his run in with Buckbeak I whipped him good." Snape said, "after his dressing up as a Dementor I gave him two whippings, the official one I am allowed with my house and the second more personal one."

"He loves to goad Harry." Dumbledore said.

"That is because Harry deserves it!" Snape snarled, "don't deny you have favored that brat, his first year, you know I had to console my whole house after that? Then he gets away with so much more! Draco never did attack him physically, if he had he knows his backside would have suffered."

"Harry never attacked Draco either Severus."

"No that would be Hermione, she has hit him several times. Smart little witch to not use hexes as those would get her in trouble, no she had to bloody his nose. He knows better than to ever use that word and he did and…"

"Had a hard time sitting for it, both times." Dumbledore finished. "Harry has a home with the Weasleys you know, Molly treats him just like one of her own including discipline."

"Does she really?" Severus said looking up from his brewing in surprise.

"Yes and you know she would, those she cares about do get to feel her wrath." Dumbledore said a smile twitching at her lips.

"Yes and I am sure that the mutt called Sirius Black feels it the most." Severus said dryly, "I would pay to see that."

Severus went back to brewing and though he did not show it he was glad that Dumbledore was here, annoying as he was. His presence kept him calm and kept him from dwelling on what had been done to him by Voldemort and his followers that liked this kind of sport. Wormtail was by far the worst, he liked to see how much pain and humiliation he could use against Severus, then there was MacNair who was all too helpful in whipping Severus's feet so that there was little left for him to walk with. He was beaten and hexed, swore at and for a select few, namely Wormtail and Bellatrix he was used for sport far more sinister. Lucius had beat him once, demanding him to tell him where his son was but Severus had no clue as to where he was. He knew how much Lucius loved his son and was surprised to find that he was not with his father, to find out he had been kept safe in a safe house for a time then brought here made him feel better.

"When you feel up to it I dare say you will want to continue to fight." Dumbledore said sighing.

"Yes I would like that, but the mark…"

"Well you no longer bare the mark, however Severus if I find you endanger yourself and get hurt you will face me is that clear?" Dumbledore said knowing very well how much Severus would still wish to fight.

"Yes sir, wait how can I fight him now? I am bound the mark…"

"Look at your arm," Dumbledore said calmly and Severus did and looked up at him, "is the mark there now?"

"No headmaster it is not." Severus replied.

"So you are free from him now, you can confront him freely." Dumbledore said, "however I would advise you not to, if I cannot kill him and I did try what chance do you have?"

"I could try."

"You would die, somehow Harry and Tom are connected, their wands for one are brothers and only Harry can kill Voldemort."

"God is cruel to allow this." Severus snapped.

"Do not blame God Severus, you know as well as I that free will is all creations blessing and curse. Blessing if used correctly and a curse if used for ill." Dumbledore replied sternly, "God does not wish his children to suffer but then he does not believe in forcing them to his will. He loves us and gives us the choice in what we will do with our lives."

"Then I have used my free will for ill and am rightly cursed." Severus replied softly.

"I don't believe you are cursed, you are a far better and braver man than I." Dumbledore said getting Severus to look up at him in surprise. "yes you are, you have constantly proven that to me my boy and I believe that God sees that too."

"One can only hope." Severus said softly.

The door to the potions room opened and Molly came in to let them know it was time for lunch. Severus finished up his work putting the potions he was working on in their bottles as they were ready and he followed her out. He knew better than try to skip meals with her around, she would floo Poppy and McGonagall and he would have a flock of women all pestering him. No it was just best he went and had his meals everyday and have done with it. Even if he had to be around Black at least he could ignore the stupid mutt. No that was not very nice, Black was letting him stay here and that did show he had some brains at least. Severus would not ever admit Black had such a thing as a heart because he knew he didn't, Black was pure evil and that was all there was to it.

**x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x**

_Dumbledore is right to make Severus take a year off. His mind is not up to the task of teaching as Dumbledore wisely knows. He is acting as a father would here taking care of his son, Severus needs to work through the trauma he suffered and he cannot do so if he has to teach and wear himself out that way. No he will still brew as that will keep him feeling useful and he is really good at it too. As for the discussion about God, I am a God fearing Christian and so had to slip that in. It would fit too as I personally don't see how magic could have saved Harry or love, it was a miracle plain and simple. _

_As for Andromeda teaching, she was Slytherin, that I am sure of and as a Black I bet she as the ability to teach very well. She will keep the snakes in line too. I chose to have Severus allowed to use corporal punishment on the Slytherins as I believe that would be the only way to get many of them to toe the line. He never goes overboard, in fact it's six with a ruler on the backside no more than that ever. I hold to the old school, it's better to spank a child than put them on behavior modifying drugs or put them in counseling that does not work or other things that are very laughable. A child is not going to be permanently damaged by a deserved spanking used sparingly and when needed._


	8. A Dog at His Service

Chapter Eight: A Dog at His Service:

Summer was still bright and warm at the burrow and Severus was enjoying his ability to be here. He could be here, at Grimmauld Place and Spinner's End thanks to the headmaster. When he had gone missing Dumbledore fearing the worst had at least put a Fidilus charm on his home and he was glad for it as he could get away form Black for a short time. With Draco needing to practice for the Slytherin team (or so Dumbledore said though Severus suspected this had been done to make sure he got fresh air) a Fidilus charm had been put on the burrow and the surrounding five acres of land. Severus had found the day perfect for a dip in the pond, it was as clean as a pond could be and not a bad place to cool off. He had shed his clothing to his shorts and was just coming out of the water when he turned quickly wand out from where he kept it strapped to his arm. He narrowed his eyes as Remus came to the pond and smiled at him sheepishly, great the stupid wolf wanted a swim as did oh joy the damn mutt for here came Sirius right behind him.

"Remus I think we may have to declare a natural disaster, there looks as if there has been a grease spill in this pond." Sirius smirked very proud of himself.

"At least I do not have fleas." Severus countered.

"I don't either, well anymore, you would have fleas and other things if you were locked up in Azkaban for any length of time." Sirius shot back.

"You lie with dogs and wake up with fleas." Severus said watching Sirius go red and throw off his tee shirt and jeans to dive into the pond. "Oh please you still cannot take me Black."

"I will save you Sirius!" Remus said throwing off his own worn jeans and collared shirt.

He dove in and swam up to Severus who sneered and held the werewolf under with one had and used his wand to hang Sirius by an ankle out of the water about five feet up. He let him go and Sirius fell into the pond and when he came up Severus grabbed him by the neck and forced him under. He let him up then finally let Remus up who gasped and quickly backed away form Severus as he did not want that done to him again. Sirius was not so smart and so a right out battle began in the pond, the two men may have lived under the same roof but they did not much like each other and this was not play. No this was battle and Severus, though not fully back to his full health was going to teach Sirius a lesson. Time and again Sirius tried to fight Severus only to find himself taken under again and again. Severus ducked him one last time and got out of the water and dried off with his wand. Sirius came out of the water and went for his wand, just as the teens came back from the Paddock. Harry saw Sirius aiming his wand at Snape the same time Draco and Ron did (Draco needed to practice as he was on the Slytherin team and so he had made a sort of truce for the time being with the Gryffindors so he could use the Paddock, it did not mean he liked them) and Harry groaned.

"My mother will not be pleased to get Sirius back in little pieces." Draco smirked.

"I know, Sirius is no where near as good a duelist as professor Snape." Harry said.

"Why doesn't Lupin protect your dog father Potter?" Draco asked trying to rile up Harry.

"He is smarter than Sirius." Harry replied shrugging as he watched as Severus use mostly non harmful spells on the insane Animagmus.

"Mum incoming." Ron said as Molly stormed out of the house as red as her hair. "Let's go now."

The teens ran into the house as Molly went off on the three men, mostly Sirius who she hexed badly to get her point across. Remus whimpered as he was scolded and he cowered very dog like and stammered out his apologies. Severus expected to be yelled at for his part in the battle and he was yelled at, but for different reasons. Sirius and Remus dressed quickly and ran for the house as they did not wish to be around the angry witch anymore and Severus was about to get dressed when Molly stopped him for the moment and oh joy here came Hermione to check him over. The infuriating girl checked him over to make sure he had not damaged himself. He glowered at her as she scanned his back carefully, even though he was mostly healed he still had stitches in the muscle layers of his back.

"I don't need to be ruddy coddled Miss Granger!" Severus snapped.

"It's Hermione sir." Hermione said scanning his back making sure he had not done any damage. "You are still a bit too thin."

"I have gained weight." Severus snapped glaring at her, it was true, he had gained back much needed muscle tone but he was still very thin though not skeletal as he had been when Hermione had found him. "You women intend to make me fat!"

"No we do not, just get you to your proper weight." Molly said firmly.

"How are your feet?" Hermione asked Severus.

"They are still tender but then I did have to grow new skin on them, they were cut to the bone, I must thank Sty for his work." Severus replied.

"Get dressed, tea is almost ready." Molly said walking back to the house she gave a parting shot at him, "you are not to work yourself up like that with those two! You will end up in a relapse!"

Severus muttered something under his breath about meddling women and got dressed. He walked into the burrow and sat down for tea at the scrubbed kitchen table. Fred and George joined the family and looked far too innocent for Severus's taste but he said nothing about it. He started in on his tea, sandwiches, an egg, fruit and a nice large double layered sponge chocolate cake iced with chocolate cream frosting. Severus enjoyed the food and company as even Sirius was well behaved here. In all fairness Sirius had been very kind to allow Severus to even stay at his house and he had not been as cruel as he could have been. He was still annoying and that would never change and he still liked to attack Snape (like today and of course always loose) and he would always. As the teens filed out after they and ate that left Sirius, Remus and Severus at the table,

"You know Remus here has a problem." Sirius said looking down at his tea cup.

"Padfoot please……"

"No look um I have been thinking and well I know that is rare." Sirius said trying for a smile, "I have seen how Remus acts around you Severus."

"I am not gay and neither is Remus!" Snape snarled.

"I know, its not that, it's well Moony needs an Alpha." Sirius said.

"I thought that was Dumbledore's job and what do you mean he needs an Alpha?" Severus asked sharply.

"Well I am a werewolf and very doglike you know." Remus said quietly, "I have to be kept in line, I have to have an Alpha a leader."

"So why not the headmaster?" Severus asked.

"Well the reason for that is you are the best for that role." Came the voice of the headmaster from the doorway to the kitchen.

"Headmaster why me?" Severus asked, "Black he should have that role."

"I am not responsible enough." Sirius said softly, "I may not like you Snape but well you have proven yourself loyal and so well I agree with the headmaster."

"I don't need a dog!" Severus snarled. "You do realize I was tormented by you in school and humiliated and…"

"About that you act the victim as if you never did anything and it was all us." Sirius snapped, "poor Severus Snape, never did a thing wrong, always the perfect gentleman. That is what the professors and many students thought but out of sight you attacked us and hurt us just as much as we came after you!"

"Yes that was fun, but you deserved it, you were bullies in school and someone had to stand up to you." Severus snapped. "Merlin how much fun it was to watch many of your pranks you were going to use against me get turned on you! I am pure Slytherin and you really should have realized that, I did end up head of Slytherin after all." Severus smirked then he got serious again.

"How did you manage to evade us before the map?" Remus asked, then it dawned on him, "are you an Animagmus Severus?"

"No, but Lucius taught me how to disillusion myself as he knew once he was gone from school you would really come after me." Severus replied.

"We were horrible to each other." Remus said.

"Yes, James and Sirius were the worst." Severus said.

"Peter egged them on, he found it funny and I, well I did not do much to reign them in, as if I could. James was my alpha, not like I could go against him."

"I know, I had a long talk with him after the shack." Severus said, "I still hated him but he did promise to leave me alone and he did, he did keep his word."

The shrieking shack was at bitter point to Severus, he still felt that Sirius had tried to kill him and nothing would ever convince him otherwise. Severus knew that these two were trying, he did not hate or fear Remus anymore. McGonagall had helped with that, she had reminded Severus he had the power to kill a werewolf with his magic and that Remus would not harm him. When Remus had taught at the school he had seen him twice in wolf form, each time he was muzzled and looked less dangerous than he had years before without the Wolfsbane. Having control over the werewolf would be quite a major step and Severus knew that it was the right one. Too bad he could not have control over the stupid mutt Black too, oh well one could not have everything they wanted in life.

"Very well, I will do this." Severus muttered.

"Splendid!" Remus said brightening, then he looked over at Sirius who looked a bit glum, "Sirius you alright mate?"

"Yea I am fine Remus, you do know what this means don't you?" He said a grin coming over his face.

"Sirius don't say it please." Remus pleaded but Sirius did not listen at all.

"A vampire and his pet werewolf how sweet!" Sirius said.

"I should hex you for that Black." Snape snarled at him. "But now I have a dog I intend on using him for some good."

"Whatever you need Severus." Remus replied.

"Good, I am working on improving the Wolfsbane, you will help with that." Severus said.

"Of course Severus, whatever you need." Remus said softly.

**x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x**

_I know it seems strange that Dumbledore would wish Severus to be Remus' Alpha. However he knows he does not have the time to give the care that Remus needs as he does need an Alpha. Sirius needs to be his friend and concentrate on that as he is too immature to take control of him. Severus needs this as he has to be shown he is trusted still. Remember this year he is not teaching and that has to hurt his ego even if he really is in no shape mentally to teach. What was done to him has shattered his self worth, his mind and has left him in a delicate state that will take time to heal. I think being Alpha of Remus would help him in healing from his ordeal._


	9. Loyalty Betrayed

Chapter Nine: Loyalty Betrayed:

Three months passed and Severus could hardly believe that school was going on and he was not teaching. He still went to Hogwarts to check on his house, he may be taking the year off but he still had to make sure his snakes were being well cared for. Most were happy to see him, they had heard the bare details of his capture and torture from Draco and they were amazed that Dumbledore would care for him enough to make sure he was back to full strength before he came back and taught. He was satisfied that Andromeda Tonks ran a tight ship as it were and took good care of the house. The students respected her though the older students of course missed him terribly. Severus did keep busy with brewing and he even helped out in a few battles with Slughorn against Voldemort.

Severus remembered how he found out what Slughorn had been doing when he visited his house in Spinner's end and saw Slughorn there having moved his piano into Severus's dining room and humbly asked to use Severus's house for his underground army. As Severus did like Slughorn (he had after all been good to him in school though that was mainly because he was a fellow potions master in the making) he had of course let him stay. Dumbledore had known that Severus would say yes to this as his home was quite safe under a Fidilus charm and so Slughorn stayed and did his work and helped the fight against Voldemort, his one time protégé, a protégé that had betrayed him and become like the devil himself.

It was a cold raining fall evening and Severus was playing chess with Remus who really was very good at this. He looked up as Sirius entered the room and took a seat looking weary and careworn. Severus knew he had been to interrogate Wormtail who had escaped shortly after Hermione had been captured and had been captured once more in a raid that freed several prisoners, one it was rumored horribly maimed and tortured. No doubt this was some poor soul who had refused to help Voldemort had had been punished for it. Sirius looked wore out and Severus hoped he had not had to go to Azkaban to face Wormtail, yet he was about to find out that Wormtail was not in Azkaban at all or in the ministry.

"So how did it go?" Remus asked Sirius.

"Minster asked a favor of me and I warned him it was a bad idea." Sirius snapped rubbing his forehead. "He asked me to keep him here for the time being."

"He did what?" Severus said and Sirius swore he saw Severus pale more than usual. "You did not take him up on that did you?"

"Had no choice, it was that or he would not release Stan Stunpike from Azkaban." Sirius replied.

"So in exchange for a foolish boy you agreed?" Severus asked looking really angry now.

"He was innocent and I could not allow him to remain in that hell! What did you want me to do Snape?" Sirius snarled at Snape, "let him go mad there?"

"No, no of course not mutt, but he was stupid for what he said. "Now were is the filthy worm, I would like to see how he likes being locked up."

Later Snape would regret going down to the room, the cell that Wormtail was in. He followed Sirius down and into the dungeons still torch lit and heavily warded as they had been in ages past. Here under the kitchen and the storage room Sirius lead Severus to the cell that he had secured the prisoner in, powerful wards down here kept Wormtail from transforming and so when they went in they found him human chained to the wall looking scared when he saw Sirius. Yet when he saw Severus he sneered and Severus paled in anger and there was fear in his eyes. Sirius did not see it but Wormtail did and he sat back looking as relaxed as he could be considering the circumstances.

"Hello Sirius I see you brought Snivillus with you." Wormtail smirked.

"Do not dare call Severus that." Sirius growled. "He is a far better man and wizard than you."

"Well a better whore." Wormtail said.

"Shut up Wormtail." Severus snarled.

"Oh have you not told Sirius about all the fun we had?" Wormtail said turning to Sirius, "you will laugh how I humiliated him finally and put him in his place."

"Shut up you bastard!" Severus yelled.

"He does make a good whore, very satisfying he is." Wormtail said. "Did he not tell you about it?"

Severus fled, he could not stay here, the torture the humiliation and the horrors he had endured came back to him in vivid living color. He barely made it to a toilet before he got sick, Wormtail knew his deepest fear and he had acted on it. He had taken his honor and now what was worse was that Sirius knew it and what would happen to him now? Severus washed up and walked up the stairs intent on running far away from here when he very nearly ran into McGonagall. She looked at him and saw how pale he was and he was sweating profusely and trembling oh so slightly, she could see it but was sure not many others could.

"Severus are you alright?" She asked.  
"Wormtail is here, he gloated over his treatment of me." Severus said softly.

"Scrimgeour, that evil man if only I could get my hands on him!" McGonagall snapped. "But that is not why I came, we have what is left of one of, a death eater, Augustus Rookwood."

"Rookwood, one of the most loyal followers of the dark lord, what of him?" Severus asked.

"He wishes to see you, begged to see you in fact." McGonagall said and she looked as if she were about to cry. "Normally I would refuse considering what he was, but he is dying and wanted to talk to you."

"What happened?" Severus asked.

"Come with me, we can talk as we go to the hospital wing."

Severus followed her to the fireplace and went through the floo with her and was filled in on what had been done to Rookwood. He was horrified, Rookwood had been so loyal, he had helped Voldemort and had suffered Azkaban never once telling the guards anything. Voldemort was a savage beast and those servants who had done this to him were just as evil. Severus walked into the hospital wing and through to the private area steadying himself for what he was about to see, for he knew what he was about to see could have been him. He entered and saw what looked like a small bundle in a bed. He walked up and stared in horror at what was left of Rookwood. Gone were both his legs and gone too were his arms, only part of his right arm remained. He was so terribly thin, thinner if possible than Severus had been and he was hooked up to several IVs and looked closer to death than life.

"Oh God Rookwood why did he do this to you?" Severus said nearly falling to the floor. "How could he, you, you were one of his most loyal!"

"I, I am glad to see you Severus." Rookwood said turning weakly to look at him with his copper eyes. "You were right about him, I, I was loyal, I did all he asked and he did this to me."

"You did not deserve this." Severus said, "you believed in him, you were loyal."

"Did not matter when I tried to tell him that, he just kept torturing me and if not for the raid worse would have happened." Rookwood said.

He told Severus all that had been done to him and Severus listened trying to keep the horror off his face. Voldemort had decided that Rookwood had betrayed him and no matter how Rookwood pleaded and professed his loyalty he had been taken apart piece by piece. He was waiting for the next round of torture having been left in a cell to gain enough strength to live through more torture when he was rescued. He began to cry as he realized that his years of loyal service, his believing in Voldemort was all for naught and dammit he had been loyal! He was not truly evil, just misguided and now he had been betrayed in the worst possible way by a master who should have treated him better than this not reduced him to this state.

"I, I was loyal." Rookwood said tears streaming down his face getting Poppy to come up and put a spell on him to calm him down and just before he drifted off, "I was loyal."

"How could he." Severus said hoarsely, "how could he do that to him?"

"I don't know Severus, I just don't know." Poppy said sadly.

"Scrimgeour is coming." Flitwick said at the doorway.

"I will leave now." Severus said, starting to panic, "if he sees me here he will want to interrogate me."

"Go to the headmasters office." Poppy said. "I will stall him here."

Severus did as she told him and made his way up to the headmaster's office and gave the password. He made his way numbly up the stairs his mind on overload and staggered into the office with out bothering to knock. He was not expecting to see Umbridge here and he staggered back fear on his face he saw only a trap and wanted only to get away. He was not thinking clearly and what with seeing Wormtail and what he had said to him and to Sirius then seeing Rookwood horribly maimed he was in a panic. Umbridge was speaking but he was not registering any of it, she advanced on him and he staggered back away from her. Dumbledore was alarmed at his behavior and was about to go to him when the door opened and Scrimgeour entered the room. He saw Severus and stared towards him and Severus actually coward in his presence he was panicking so badly flashing back to his time in captivity.

"So there you are, was wondering what happen to you _professor _Snape." Scrimgeour said moving toward Snape wand out.

"No please get away from me!" Severus said backing to the wall clearly out of his mind at the moment.

"Minister please he has been through hell." Dumbledore said, "he is my boy and I vouch for him you know this."

"I just have a few questions for him." Scrimgeour said. "I will not harm him."

"No, I don't know anything!" Severus said flashing back forgetting where he was at the moment, "don't hurt me oh God please don't hurt me!"

"No one is going to hurt you what is wrong with you?" Umbridge said impatiently.

"Doesn't look like that from here." Sirius said from the doorway.

Everyone turned to look at him and to say he was upset would not really do it justice. He was livid, over the past few months, though he had not really spoke much to Severus he saw that he was not as bad as he once thought. The fact he willingly did all he could to make Remus' transformations easier and even went as far as make the Wolfsbane in pill form so that Remus could carry it with him. Sirius was alarmed, he had never seen Severus this out of control, he looked as if he would faint. Even when Sirius and James had hung Snape up by his heal and exposed his underwear to Lily Severus had swore and fought back (Flitwick had come by shortly after and rescued Severus and punished all four Marauders) swearing and threatening violence. Yet there was no fight in Severus now, he was pleading, begging and clearly in a full blown panic and he was nearly on his knees. Sirius stepped up and got between Scrimgeour and Severus getting Scrimgeour to back up in surprise seeing the very irate Black before him.

"You leave him alone!" Sirius snarled, "you dare, you dare come here like this?"

"Mr. Black, look I just want to ask a few questions, about what happened to him." Scrimgeour asked.

"He will not harm him boy." Umbridge said.

"Oh really?" Sirius said the blood boiling in his veins, it was ironic that he was defending his one time foe like this, it really did prove he was not evil just a one time bully, "so tell me you want to know what was done to him? What was done to Rookwood, going to parade them around saying this is what Voldemort does to his followers and privately gloat you have a political edge?"

"Sirius…" Dumbledore warned him.

"No Albus I have had enough of the ministry." Sirius growled, "tell me minister where were you to make sure I got a trial all those years ago? Why do you continue to make the same mistakes?"

"You don't understand…"

"You locked up an innocent boy in hell and you expect me to understand?" Sirius snarled, "you foul evil creature, you are just as bad as Voldemort! No wonder he can still recruit and gain followers when people like you run the ministry!"

"You have no right to speak to the minister like that." Umbridge snapped.

"Shut up you hag!" Sirius snarled at Umbridge.

"How dare you!" Umbridge shouted.

"Enough!" Dumbledore said barely raising his voice.

The room went quiet at once and every one looked to the aged headmaster. It was very clear why Voldemort feared him now, gone was the normally serine calm man and before them was a powerful very upset wizard. His eyes were no longer twinkling but flashing with cold blue light and his power was radiating through the room. Severus had even calmed down enough to look over at him, somehow this one thing snapping him out of his dark hell he was back in the present time.

"There are enough problems with any of us fighting each other." Dumbledore said firmly. "Minister I am going to have to ask you to leave Severus alone."

"I need to know what he knows!" Scrimgeour replied rounding on Severus who was whimpering in terror once more. "I will not hurt him."

"He has been through hell minister, can't you see you are adding to that?" Sirius snapped.

"Fine then you can give me back Pettigrew." Scrimgeour snapped at Sirius.

"Sure you can have what is left of him." Sirius said glaring at Scrimgeour.

"Sirius what did you do?" Dumbledore asked sternly.

"He was gloating about what he did and I wanted him to stop and shouted at him to stop and he would not." Sirius said shaking at the memory of what Wormtail told him, "he kept gloating about raping…them and I, I had my hands around his throat and, and then he was dead, I, I killed him."

"My God, if I had known that I would not have had you take him, I would have killed him myself!" Scrimgeour said he was a pale as a ghost when he turned to Severus.

He started to speak to Severus but Severus was going into shock as his mind was overloaded at this time. He did something that normally he as a strong powerful wizard did not do, he actually crumpled to the floor. It was all too much, Wormtail and his horrible face and voice and then seeing Rookwood as he had he could take no more and his body in defense shut down. He heard voices far away and felt someone gently shake him then all was blackness and he remembered no more.

**x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x**

_Now I know Snape seems so out of character here, however he had been tortured and well raped by Wormtail for who knows how long when he was captive of Voldemort. No sooner did he have to witness Wormtail gloat about raping him to Sirius (who Severus still does not trust fully he probably thought he would gloat too) then he was called to Hogwarts. He would not allow McGonagall to fully examine him, if he did she would not have let him go to Rookwood as she did._

_Now when he saw Rookwood, maimed he realized it could have been him. Imagine being him, strong, powerful and seeing what would have been him if he had not been rescued. He started to flash back and any since of self he had regained was lost and his progress was destroyed by this. Things just went downhill from there. As for Sirius defending him, well he would, he is noble as he did stand up to his own family and leave them as they were anything but honorable. Hearing what was done to Severus would horrify him and force him to realize what he could have become. In short he has had a dose of humble pie and he doesn't like it but he will take it. After all it is the honorable thing for him to do._


	10. Brothers in Arms

Chapter Ten: Brothers in Arms:

Severus came too slowly and groaned forgetting for the moment what had happened. He opened his eyes and saw he was back in his room at Grimmauld place and Molly was standing speaking quietly with Sirius. Severus felt anger and shame and glared at Sirius who seeing him awake spoke to Molly and let her walk up to Severus. Sirius was no fool, he knew better than to come near Snape now as he would hex him and badly as his wand was right by him on the nightstand. Severus sat up and looked down at the bedclothes shame washing over him at how he had reacted. He was strong, he had seen horrible things before and dammit he was not weak! Yet he had passed out in front of the minister of magic of all people and before that, he closed his eyes at the shame of his actions.

"You gave everyone quite a scare Severus." Molly said gently brushing a lock of his lank black hair from his face. "Minerva is berating herself for having you go see Rookwood, if she had known what state you were in from seeing Pettigrew she would not have had you go see him."

"I was fine." Severus snapped. "Rookwood wanted to see me, could I deny I dying man his last wishes?"

"No you were not, Wormtail is evil and wicked." Molly said quietly. "To tell Sirius what was done to you and gloat about it." Here she looked over at Sirius. "If Sirius only had left him alive I would have taught him the meaning of anguish."

"So now you know Black." Severus said glaring at Sirius who looked uncomfortable, ashamed and was having a hard time looking at him. "Congratulations you now have something to hold over me, wish to gloat, to brag about how Severus Snape was finally humbled?"

"No, never, I never wanted this, never Severus you have to believe me." Sirius said and when he looked up there were tears in his eyes. "Please believe me, I never thought he was so evil."

"Well he was and I can't see how you are not in part to blame for some of how he turned out." Severus snarled at Sirius.

"Severus Tobias Snape!" Molly said appalled.

"No Molly he has a right to think badly of me." Sirius said softly, "I have done harsh things to him and I was a bully, I know that now."

Severus glared up at Sirius who really did look as if he meant what he said. There was tension in the room, but Severus knew that Sirius had changed, the fact he allowed Severus to stay in his house proved that. In the last few months he had been here Black had teased him a bit and tried a few pranks (that turned out badly for Sirius in the end) but he had been a good host to Severus. Both men heard some sniffing and looked stunned at Molly who was crying! Of course the men were puzzled and they did not understand why she was crying.

"Why must you fight?" Molly said, "why do you hold onto this grudge? You fight the same side and why can't you both let it go?"

"Um he did try to kill me." Severus muttered.

"Um you tried to kill me first, you dropped me from two floors." Sirius countered.

"You deserved…"

"Please stop, please you are tearing me apart!" Molly said still crying.

"Molly I, please don't cry." Sirius said looking very contrite now.

He looked to Severus his eyes asking how to stop this and Severus looked at him with the same helpless expression. There really was only one thing to do to help her and Severus threw back the covers and slowly got out of the bed and walked up to her. He put his arm around her at the same time as Sirius did and then, not sure how this happened or fully why both men were crying along with Molly. They cried and held each other for a long time. Finally when they could cry no more and Severus could barely stand (he was still recovering from the trauma earlier) he sat on the bed and dried his eyes on the sleeve of his gray nightshirt. He felt a bit better but not for long, the horrors of what had been done to him came back violently and he curled up on the bed and began to cry again.

He had nightmares sure nearly every night but never had he had a flashback like this to his time in the cruel hands of Wormtail and MacNair, two brutes who enjoyed humiliating him completely. MacNair loved to taunt him with what was coming, how Voldemort was looking for a werewolf and was going to give Severus to him as a gift. Not all at once, oh no bit by bit, until there was very little left of him and then if, if he had survived that abuse his mutilated corpse would have been given as a gift to Dumbledore. Seeing Rookwood had brought back the horrors of what he had waited for those weeks of his captivity, each time the door opened he expected his final torture to start and each time Voldemort came to amuse himself at the pain of his captive and taunt him he had expected to lose a limb. He felt a hand on his shoulder, a gentle hand and he was leaning against Molly and she was singing to him low and soft. Sirius sat on the edge of the bed worry all over his face. To see his one-time enemy broken, sobbing and so out of control scared him badly and he felt shame. He felt shame and guilt for how he had acted all those years before and how he had treated Severus, maybe if he had not egged on James would Severus had joined Voldemort? Was it his fault he had?

"I am sorry." Sirius said tears in his eyes, "I am so very sorry, you are not wicked, I am."

"No Black you are a bully but that cannot be helped, not how you were raised." Severus said as he came back to the reality that he was safe and not going to be tortured or hurt here. "You protected your brother, I know that now, the sorting hat picked up on your bravery. If I had known that then I might not have taunted and hexed you."

"If I had known that Slytherin did produce brave good people like Regulus and, and you I would not have taunted and hexed you either. Well prank you of course but not tried to hurt you." Sirius said slowly. "Can I ask you a question Severus?"

"You wish to know why I joined the dark lord?" Severus replied.

"Was it because of us, how we treated you?" Sirius asked.

"No, you four were annoying but mostly something I could deal with, you were not clever like me. I could read you very well and Merlin was it funny to allow you to carefully plan pranks against me and then turn them on you. Ah yes you rarely got me back, but for a few times, fifth year with Lily, oh Merlin I was a fool! She hated me after that." Severus said sadness in his eyes.

"Not really, everyone thought you put us in the hospital wing." Sirius said, "all but the headmaster as he knew who did."

"Really that was Lily?" Severus said a smile on his face, "she gave you boils, James boils and tentacles, Peter she gave red itchy skin and Remus was it fur under his robes? She did all that then?"

"Yes, she loved you, well all of us."

"She even forgave me the next year." Severus said quietly, "but to answer your question no you did not push me to the dark lord. I went to him because well I wanted power and my parents were dead by the end of my sixth year and what did I have to lose? In the end I betrayed all of you."

"You did not." Molly said getting Severus to turn to her in surprise, "yes I know you heard part of that horrible prophecy but you did not know it was a child. Tell me what you did when you found out he was going to kill your oldest friend?"

"I,I went to them, to James and Lily, I was prepared to let James kill me." Severus replied softly, "yet he spared me, he was so damn noble so damn Gryffindor! He convinced me to go to the headmaster and so I did and he did not kill me either. The world would be a better place without me in it."

"No you are needed, I am not, look what I caused!" Sirius said in anguish, "if not for me James and Lily would have lived to raise Harry."

"Hush both of you, neither of you are bad, you both tried to do the right thing." Molly said firmly, "you are not wicked boys, you are good and noble and are not to blame, no not even you Severus though you did join Voldemort for a time."

"Where do we go from here?" Severus asked.

"Well we plan and plot to get rid of ol' moldy shorts." Sirius said, "well there is that and something else."

"Oh what would that be?" Severus said silkily.

"You need to wash you hair." Sirius said adding "ow what was that for woman?" When Molly smacked him upside the head for that remark.

"You know for what, Sirius be nice to Severus!" Molly said turning to Severus "You have to rest now."

Severus did not argue and Sirius left the room closing the door to let Molly take care of Severus. She tucked him into bed and gave him a dreamless draught, just this once. He fell asleep at once and after Molly had put up several charms to alert her if he had nightmares she headed to the sitting room where Remus was seated reading. He had dared not go into the room, he did know exactly what Severus had gone through even before Pettigrew had told everyone. However he had not said a word and if he had gone into the room Severus would have killed him for keeping that from him. He would talk with Severus when he was more himself as there were similarities between him and Severus in the abuse side. Sirius might be horrified at what happened to Severus but Remus had gone through it, Grayback had used him and if not for Moody rescuing him and killing Grayback Remus was sure he would still be the slave of Grayback. He looked up to see Sirius enter the room and put on some muggle music and take a seat and pour himself a stiff drink. Molly did not scold him as she knew he needed it after what he had learned, it had humbled, shamed and scared him at the same time and hopefully shocked some since into him.

**x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x**

_Severus and Sirius are not OOC here, their reactions are correct for what they have been through. Sirius being humbled by what he learned would be correct, yes he was a bully in school and yes it would take learning that one of his best mates in school had turned not only betrayed his friends but became a rapist for him to really fully change. This would really make Sirius question himself, he may not be the sharpest tool in the shed but learning what happened to Snape would just about send him over the edge. Molly crying for both boys would not be out of line as she tends to want to care for others as evidenced by how she took in Harry, Hermione, Remus, and Sirius just to name a few.._


	11. Regarding A Grim Choice

Chapter Eleven: Regarding A Grim Choice:

Lucius Malfoy was in conflict, he had heard what had been done to Rookwood in a letter from Severus. If that had not been enough proof the pictures sent (no doubt with Rookwood's consent) showed him he was a fool and that Voldemort really was evil. Remorse washed over Lucius as he realized all he had done in the service of Voldemort and a black depression came over him. He was wicked and damned and he could no longer serve Voldemort. In fact he felt he could no longer live either, he went to his study and took out parchment and started to write. He wrote several letters, one to the minister, one to Dumbledore and one to his wife and son. He reached under his robes and removed a small key and put it with the letter to his son. He would no longer need it now and he was not going to end up as Rookwood had, no he would die on his own terms in his own manner and at the same time show up Voldemort. It was not as if he would have survived this war anyway.

"You alright Lucius?" Rudolphus said from the doorway to the study.

"Yes, just had to get some things in order." Lucius said rising to his feet calmly masking the fear he felt as he prepared himself for the task ahead. "The dark lord still wishes to see me?"

"Yes he does, he is not in a good mood."

"He never is anymore." Lucius said, "no matter, I will see him."

He followed Rudolphus out of his manor, no it was not his manor anymore, once he was dead it would be Draco's and the house would be warded against any that Draco did not want in. Or so Lucius hoped as he wanted his son to at least have a home he could go to. He loved his son and wife dearly and he had done all he could for them accept protect them from the dark lord. Learning the truth from Severus as to why he had turned from Voldemort had hurt but then learning that Rookwood had not died as Voldemort had stated but had been cruelly tortured and maimed had shocked Lucius to the core. Rookwood had served so loyally, he had even gone to Azkaban for Voldemort and he had been betrayed. All too soon they came to the woods where Voldemort had called a meeting and Lucius saw the gathered death eaters there. He was going to die but in a way that would show defiance he hoped. Voldemort stood before them pacing back and forth his red eyes glowing with anger.

"I am sure many of you know that I found a traitor amongst us." Voldemort began coldly, "yet Severus was not the only traitor. There was one more, Augustus Rookwood, vile evil and traitorous he dared go against me. No matter he is dead now though I have not what is left of him to show you as a warning."

"My lord he was no traitor." Lucius said knowing he could get killed or worse for this.

"You dare Lucius?" Voldemort hissed turning on Lucius.

"I do dare and I would like to hand in my resignation, I can no longer serve you as you are far too unstable." Lucius said calmly.

"You cannot resign from me!" Voldemort snarled really angry now, "you serve me for life."

"I am aware of that." Lucius said calmly. "that is why I will take my life."

"You are mad!" Rudolphus said looking at Lucius with shock and backing from him.

"I choose how you die…"

"No my lord, you did grant me one boon after I brought you the prophecy." Lucius said, he would not serve Voldemort and he would be damned if he died in Azkaban. "I will take my own life, as my boon."

"Then have done with it you coward!" Voldemort screamed at Lucius.

Yet the way that Lucius planned on taking his own life was not one of a coward. He removed his robes and put them aside and removed his shirt and knelt taking out a knife. He did not see a way out of this, he was not going to be tortured to death when his unstable lord thought him a traitor. In fact even though he new deep down Voldemort was evil he still worshiped the dark lord. But he could not serve him, not anymore as he had destroyed one of his most loyal servants. Lucius readied himself as best he could then thrust the sharp knife into his abdomen and cut deep and drug the full length of his abdomen. He gasped in pain and nearly passed out but he finished his task. The death eaters were horrified and impressed at the same time, it was clear Lucius Malfoy was no coward.

"My lord let me heal him and we can properly teach him…" Bellatrix started to say but Voldemort held up his hand to silence her.

"No Bella, no this is proper, Lucius at least you know how to die well." Voldemort said.

"I am no longer your servant." Lucius said weakly.

He fell face first to the dirt and Rudolphus scanned him and nodded to Voldemort. Voldemort ordered the remainder of his death eaters to leave with him leaving the dead body behind him. If he had realized what this would cause later he would have destroyed the body on the spot. As it was he was too shocked at this latest development to do much of anything. The surviving death eaters wondered what their fate would be now that Lucius had resigned in such a horrible way. A few hours later Aurors came with the minister of magic insisting on coming along. He had got a letter from Lucius Malfoy confessing to being a death eater and that his body would be found in these woods. It was a grizzly sight, one that Scrimgeour had expected knowing exactly what Harri Karri entailed.

"Sir did you-know-who make him do this?" Kingsley asked stepping back from the body.

"No, he resigned." Scrimgeour replied, "hell of a way to go about it, please cover him up."

"But why not come to us?" Tonks asked feeling sick at the sight before her.

"He wanted to give honor back to his family, that and he was not going to allow that ball-less bastard do what was done to Rookwood to him."

"I don't blame him sir." Tonks said and as Scrimgeour glared at her, "he would think the worst of everyone after what Snake face did. I don't think he was fully in his right mind."

"Or maybe he was fully in his right mind." Kingsley replied, "the warriors in muggle and magical Japan would kill themselves in this very manner if they felt their lord had dishonored them or they had dishonored their lord. Or in rare cases to resign just as Lucius did and protect the honor of their family."

"Let's get him to his family, it is the least we can do." Scrimgeour said, "no doubt there will be what the muggles call a media storm tomorrow."

The Aurors wrapped up the body and left the forest taking the body to the ministry where they could guard it until Narcissa and Draco could come and get the body. They keep guard over the body and did the necessary magical autopsy to make sure that this death was purely Lucius Malfoy's doing. Scrimgeour already unhappy but smart enough to realize Sirius had spoke the truth was reeling at the death of Lucius Malfoy. He realized that Lucius was far more honorable than he had been even though he had been on the wrong side. Scrimgeour resolved to do his level best to change as he realized he was wrong and how many more would die because of his mistakes?

Two days later Severus went to Hogwarts to see Rookwood and was surprised and not too happy to see the minister of magic here Rufus Scrimgeour. Then again Severus had several good reasons to not want this man near him. After Severus had pled guilty to being a death eater after Voldemort's first fall, before he could be released to Dumbledore who was his sole guardian Scrimgeour had taken Severus prisoner. He didn't care that Severus was on their side, he along with Barty Crouch Sr. Had humiliated, tortured and damn near killed him with their hexes and curses. Crouch may have been the worst but Scrimgeour had not been far behind in what he had done. Severus was in the hospital wing for a month after that and it took all the skill of Poppy and Slughorn to make sure he pulled through. Severus saw that Rookwood was arguing with Scrimgeour had stopped only when Severus came into the room.

"Ah professor Snape." Scrimgeour said seeing Severus flinch ever so slightly, he felt guilty for how he had treated him all those years ago. "I came to deliver a pardon to Mr. Rookwood here and find he is planning on speaking to the school!"

"They have a right to know what the dark lord is capable of." Rookwood replied calmly.

"To see…"

"Yes to see what was done to me, I am a bloody helpless cripple to be sure but damn I am going to do all I can to thwart that monster! I was loyal to him and look what he did!" Rookwood said raising his voice.

"Third year and above to be there?" Severus asked.

"Yes, no need to scare the youngest." Rookwood replied.

"Your hair could do that alone." Severus shot at him, "you look like you have a mop on your head!"

"Hey I like it, so did the ladies…" Rookwood trailed off.

"Well they will again, when you can be fitted with limbs." Severus replied then added though he knew he would need a calming drought before he went down, "I will go."

"You both are mad!" Scrimgeour snapped, "I cannot believe the headmaster would allow this!"

"Thought you would be glad with the way things have turned out." Severus said paling as Scrimgeour turned to face him but he pressed on, "you now can parade the death of Lucius and what happened to Augustus around."

"No, I will not, there was a time I would have but damn Sirius was right, I want to do what is right, that is why I don't want Rookwood to do this, if he has been pressured into this…"

"No I want to do this, I have to do this." Rookwood replied. "The students are already waiting for me to come speak to them."

Scrimgeour thought they both were mad but he knew that the British Wizarding World needed to be united. Starting with Hogwarts in this matter was the thing needed now as the students were easier to get to than the adults. Scrimgeour watched as Hagrid came in with Flitwick and after wrapping what was left of Rookwood up Hagrid gently took him down to the great hall and put him in a comfortable chair and Severus took a place by him. He had taken a calming draught but still felt a bit panicky, he had managed to be around his snakes but that was duty. He of course showed nothing, no hint of the inner turmoil showed on his face or in his stance. The students had stopped talking when Rookwood was brought in and looked at the horribly maimed man before them. He still was not strong enough for what Sty had planned for him so he was still helpless for the time being.

"I am sure you heard what happened to me from the Prophet, I wanted you to see the truth." Rookwood said, "this was my choice to come to you, to show you what the dark lord really is like."

"Did you betray him?" Pansy asked getting hisses from the Gryffindors.

"No, and do not show displeasure at the Slytherins, their problem is really wanting to protect the Wizarding world, sometimes it leads to trouble with evil like the dark lord."

"Sir why did you join him?" Harry asked, he already knew the answer to that but those here needed to know what he knew after spending hours talking to Rookwood. "What did he offer?"

"Safety for the Wizarding world, I don't know if you lot know it but the muggle world is very dangerous, if you know history what they did to the Jews this last century when they did not want them around. Then they came up with nuclear weapons and nearly wiped us all out. But we can be just as bad, I have had time to think and of course I always knew we were just as human as them, just with a few more talents if you will. This is what the dark lord offered, I really thought he meant it and no offence Mr. Potter I believed you were wicked, how else did you survive such a curse?"

"Um my mum saved me and er it was a miracle too?" Harry said going a bit red as he did when he was embarrassed.

"As a Ravenclaw I really should not have been so thick." Rookwood said looking down at what was left of him, "I did want to lose weight but this is a bit much mind you."

"Indeed." Severus muttered as the students took turns trying not to laugh and looking horrified.

"Well this is one death eater you don't have to fear as I am armless." Rookwood smirked.

"Do stop it." Severus said dryly but the students were snickering now and McGonagall had pressed her lips into a thin line.

"Well I did get rid of the dark mark at least but I think I may have gone a bit overboard." Rookwood said, "could anyone lend me a hand?"

That was it, the students could not help it and they laughed and cried at the same time. They cried for the ruined man before them and laughed at his grim humor. The headmaster's eyes were twinkling and Flitwick along with Sprout were trying not to laugh. Severus and McGonagall just remained stern and refused to smile at all. Rookwood's humor was gallows humor but sometimes it's better to joke about a horrible thing than sit and cry about it. That is what Rookwood was trying to do, to make like of his horrible situation and show the students, no the world he may have been ripped to pieces but he was not broken, not he! He had been but he was going to bounce back and show those that had done this evil thing to him had not won. Finally the students managed to sober and Rookwood looked over at Draco who was really holding up very well given the fact his father had just committed suicide in a gruesome fashion.

"Mr. Malfoy, your father was a brave man." Rookwood said, "I know you did not wish to lose him and must suffer so but he did show the dark lord his displeasure."

"Yes sir he did, I am grateful for his sacrifice, I will never have to join that monster." Draco said looking around defiantly, he had said it, finally he had said it and let any come after him for it! "Look what he did to one loyal to him! Look what he did to our professor Snape! I will not join him I don't care what he claims to be!"

"I will not join him either." Pansy said walking up.

"Nor will I! He is a foul monster!" Flint said getting up.

One by one all the Slytherins got up and denounced Voldemort, all but one, but then Theodore Nott probably had taken the mark already Severus thought bitterly. Of course the Hufflepuff denounced Voldemort as Hufflepuff was not known for joining dark lords. Ravenclaw was next then Gryffindor last, Dumbledore looked happy to see his students doing this, only a handful of students refused to join, only one from Slytherin, ten from Ravenclaw and interestingly five from Gryffindor. They were not told to leave the school and would not have been thrown out even if they had the dark mark, but these students walked from great hall, packed their trunks and left the school that very day. Many students tried to get them to stay, but they refused and in the end they were gone and left an ache in their friends hearts. Rookwood was taken back to the Hospital Wing and put to bed and Severus came up and the two wizards talked far into the night…

**x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x**

_It may seem odd to have Lucius do this, killing himself. However I think when he heard what happened to Rookwood he realized all he had fought for was a lie and this depressed him. The type of killing I chose is very painful and graphic and probably would have impressed even Voldemort._

_As for Rookwood speaking to the school and his humor, well he is right. Better joke than cry as it's not going to help to keep crying over his loss. Students still leaving the school would happen no matter what and so I kept that real here._


	12. Picking Up the Pieces

Chapter Twelve: Picking Up the Pieces:

Severus did not like this waiting, he was pacing at Grimmauld place and both Sirius and Remus were getting tired if it. They were worried too but pacing was not going to have the surgery go any faster. Finally the two Gryffindors got up and took out their wands and attacked at once, of course they would not win but they were not trying to, they were trying to get Severus to stop pacing! It worked, Severus snarled and turned on the two and the duel was on. No dangerous, dark or illegal spells were used and Sirius and Remus found themselves having to fight hard against the more powerful and better trained wizard before them. Finally they were overpowered and Severus went into the sitting room and took a seat taking up a magazine. He put it down again as Dumbledore came out of the fireplace, carefully dusted off his robes and turned to Severus a twinkle in his eyes.

"So is it done?" Severus asked.

"Yes and it went very well, where are Sirius and Remus?" Dumbledore asked.

"They took to dueling me so I hung them on the wall, should be in just as soon as Remus gets them down, right now." Severus said as Remus came in followed by Sirius.

"That was not nice vampire!" Sirius snapped at Severus.

"No but it was funny, besides you started it by attacking me in the first place!" Severus replied.

"Well you would not stop pacing!" Sirius retorted.

"You were a bit annoying pacing like that." Remus added. "Still you could have done worse though being hung on the wall is a bit funny. Hello headmaster how is the operation coming along?"

"It is done, the next few days will show if the potions will intergraded with his system fully." Dumbledore replied.

"They should, I did make the potions." Severus replied coolly.

"Bet they taste terrible." Sirius muttered.

"Taste is not as important to how the potion works." Severus said silkily.

"So we wait then?" Remus asked calmly.

"Yes, the full moon is in two days and I have much to do." Severus replied.

"You don't have to make the Wolfsbane, you created that into chews." Remus said.

"No but I still have work to do, get the flea dip just incase you two mutts get into fleas that sort of thing."

"Why you horrible wicked Vampire!" Sirius snapped at him. "I don't have fleas!"

"You did, and could again, I cannot take chances." Severus smirked.

Sirius swore under his breath at Severus and the headmaster pretended not to hear any of it. Three days later after the full moon Severus entered Hogwarts to find Rookwood in bed flexing his new limbs carefully. Poppy looked pleased as she compared the readings from her wand with those on the paper she had before her. Sty came in looking tired but then he had spent nearly a full day with a large crew putting Rookwood back together. Magic was used for the bones and to help with the surgical part of the operation, unicorn hair was used for the thousands of sutures and even with four surgeons working on each limb it had taken a long, long time. When the last suture was put in place and the skin closed up with magic it was a waiting game. Now three days later it seemed the potions were helping Rookwood's immune system recognize the new limbs as part of the body and to not attack them and reject them. Rookwood looked up as Severus came into the room and grinned.

"Look best Christmas present ever! Freedom from the dark lord and new limbs!" Rookwood said.

"No you can fix your hair." Severus quipped.

"Look who is talking." Rookwood shot back.

"Well it's his hair and he can keep it as he wishes." Ginny Weasley said coming up with a set of cups she hovered before Rookwood. "Try reaching out and grabbing those sir."

"I would rather grab a good looking witch from Hogsmeade." Rookwood retorted. "So when can I start walking?"

"Not for another day and I warn you it will be hard, you spent a long time in bed and though you have built up as much muscle as you could your body is going to go through an adjustment." Poppy warned him.

"I hate laying about, I need to move, it will help with, with everything." Rookwood said not wanting to dwell on the nightmares that still came every night.

"You will sir, you will still wish for us to come and talk with you?" Ginny asked.

"Only students with brains, no offence Severus but Greg and Vincent are just so annoying. They cannot understand a simple joke!" Rookwood lamented.

"Not everyone can!" Ginny shot at him as he managed to grab another cup from the air. "They may not be bright but they are sweet."

"I never thought any would call those two dunderheads sweet." Severus said glaring at Ginny.

He noticed that she had grown from a small miserable first year to a smart fiery six year young woman. Her long red hair was more like flames than what Lily's had been and she had her mothers kind brown eyes and her fathers good natured smile and features in a womanly way. She was not too thin and shapely but not like Hermione, no Hermione was perfect Severus thought. He mentally slapped himself for even thinking of a student that way of legal age or not. Ginny moved down to Rookwood's legs and started to massage them and stretch them and he sighed and let her work out the muscles he had not had for a long time. Hermione came in with Neville who had been helping here and Neville grinned at Rookwood looking straight at what passed for hair on his head. Long lean tendrils of clean brown dreadlocks surrounded his pale face.

"So I see you are still going for Rastafarianism." Neville said shocking Severus who did not think the pureblood bane of his potions classroom could know anything about the muggle world.

"Well some religion, no I just like the look." Rookwood said smiling at Neville then Hermione. "Though I did find God while I was being tortured."

"Now that surprises me." Severus said, "you were a staunch Atheist, what caused you to change?"

"Well you try to go through what I did alone, see where it gets you. When he took my left hand first, joint by joint it hurt so badly and I knew I could not deal with that again, and I was still so prideful, I would not change, I still believed in him!" Rookwood said sadly. "But I realized I was wrong and then I had to examine the rest of my life. Not that I could do anything more, I found God, each time I was tortured or maimed I prayed that he would either allow me to die or if I was to live I promised to do what I could to bring down Voldemort and the evils that surround him."

"Well I think Harry has get rid of Voldemort himself." Hermione said, "but we can help take down those who are trying to destroy the world with their Nazi tactics"

"Good analogy, those death eaters still loyal to Voldemort would have fit in well in the death camps." Rookwood replied them put his heads in his hands and began to cry stating. "Oh God I served the wizard Hitler!"

"You did not know, you believe in him." Neville said sitting on the bed with surprising insight and tenderness, "their lad you did not know how evil he was. You followed him because you believed he would save the world, you are not like Bellatrix."

"That is true, Rookwood you never did like killing did you?" Severus asked him.

"No, never I hated it and only did so in defense!" Rookwood said, "I must apologize to Mr. Potter, for everything."

"You already did." Ginny said gently.

"I fear it is not enough." Rookwood said sadly.

"You need to rest, enough talk, all of you not here to help out!" Poppy said appearing in the room and ushering everyone out.

Over the next week Rookwood got used to his limbs and walking again. His body had for so long been used to the stumps where his limbs had been and his nerves had to get used to being apart of arms and legs, this meant he had to learn to walk, fed dress and use his new limbs fully. Neville proved to be a great help, he would help Rookwood when he lost his footing and helped him time and again to learn to balance again and to walk first to the toilet then around the room and finally around the school. He was allowed to go to Grimmauld Place in the day, but not for long, he was still in a delicate mental state more so than Severus had been as he had been torn to pieces and though he was once more a whole man the memory of what had been done was still fresh and would be for a long time. It was the ghost of the friar who offered him the most comfort in the dark hours of night and when Severus could not sleep himself he could be found here in the Infirmary talking with Rookwood and the friar and surprisingly Percy Weasley.

The fact Percy was even here was a miracle in of itself, he had learned what had been done to Severus and then to Rookwood and seen the change that ever so slightly was coming over his boss. He had come and seen the damage to Rookwood and had seen how his own family cared for one who had once been the enemy. It had humbled him and now he came many an evening to talk with Rookwood and Severus as they were not the only ones who found sleep a luxury at times. Two weeks after Rookwood had got his new limbs Severus and Percy and the Friar were all in the small room that Rookwood called home just off the hospital wing. Rookwood was sitting cross-legged on the bed for the first time enjoying the feel of his new limbs finishing the potion that Severus had made for him. He was on his last regimen for the full fusion of donated limbs and his own body and here after he would only need to take one potion a month to stay alive and not have his body reject the limbs outright. This was far better than the muggle alternative as the immune system was coaxed along to recognize the limbs as part of the whole instead of being shoved down.

"So how are you getting on walking outdoors?" Percy asked shuffling a deck of cards.

"Well if not for Neville I would am sure I would have kissed the earth many times." Rookwood said calmly, "I thought these limbs would be easier than this but then I should be grateful and not complain."

"Well your body does have to adjust to them." Severus said, "be lucky you do not have to have wooden ones."

"Bill has a metal hand, says he likes it better than something off a dead man." Percy said. "But if I lost a hand say I would want a real one back."

"Same here though if I had lost an eye like Moody I would want a magical eye like his." Rookwood grinned, "imagine to be able to see through anything!"

"Ah well he could not really." Percy said.

"What do you mean?" Severus asked.

"Well um it could see through magical things, like cloaks and that Boggart mum told me about and if someone had hexes or spells or in Harry's case magical socks on…"

"Harry has magical socks?" Severus said raising an eyebrow, "the arrogance of the boy and how do you know?"

"I saw them once, seems Dobby the house elf made them for him." Percy replied.

"So no seeing ladies…"

"No and that would be just wrong anyway." Percy said getting the men and ghost to look at him, "well I like a naked girl as much as any bloke but it has to be her wanting me to see her."

"Spoken like a true gentleman." The friar said.

The men continued their card came far into the night and Severus turned a couple of chairs to a cot and fell asleep by Rookwood while Percy headed home. This was not uncommon, ever since Rookwood had come back Severus had come and slept here when Poppy did not try to chase him off. Maybe it was because both men had been through a horrible ordeal but it was easier for them to not have nightmares when they slept in the same room. Accept for the night after the surgery Poppy had finally given up and just let Severus do what he needed as it helped Rookwood and Severus. Though with those two brains together there were times she nearly hexed them for the extensive pranks that could and did put the marauders and twins to shame combined. She was very grateful they had not been sorted into the same house as she was not sure Hogwarts would still be standing.

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

_Muggle surgery is very advanced, in fact it is possible to reattach limbs quite easily and would be done for amputees all the time but for one thing, the immune system loves to reject things even if they are good for the body as a whole, even when the donor matches the recipient as well as they can. We can reattach faces and are doing so all the time now it seems. But there are times when the limb transfers do not work out and the donated limbs have to be removed._

_If there is a potion that can "raise" a man from the dead then there has to be one that could be used to help the immune system accept the foreign body parts as part of the whole. As for Rookwood still having to learn to walk and use his limbs all over again that would be perfectly in line with normal medical procedures. In fact it would take months and months and I am not really one who wants to write pages and pages of that. He might be whole in body but he remembers everything that was done to him. He had two choices, go mad or find God, which one do you think is better for the human soul?_

_Rastafarianism is a new age religion where the followers wear their hair in dreadlocks much as I have Rookwood hair in this fiction. It is a faith that believes that Haile Selassie the former Emperor of Ethiopia is the incarnation of God. Rookwood is not part of that faith though he has become Christian here, which does fit with the Harry Potter universe as the magicals do celebrate Christmas and have an Easter break as well. As for Neville knowing this, well I think he is a lot smarter than he lets on if the last book and what he did with the Room of Requirement are anything to go by._

_A slight edit to clear any confusion, where I have Rookwood state "I served the wizard Hitler" he is not referring to Hitler but comparing Voldemort to Hitler. It is very plausible that the Wizarding world would know quite a bit about Hitler. The quote is from a friend that I just changed a bit he stated a few years ago that the Unabomber was "the American Hitler" to describe how evil he was._


	13. Christmas At Grimmauld Place

Chapter Thirteen: Christmas At Grimmauld Place:

Severus woke early and stretched, he looked down and saw a small brown tabby sleeping by him on top of the covers. He smiled and reached out to scratch the cat's ( who was Hermione) head and she stretched extending all of the claws on her front feet, yawned and woke up. Severus picked up his wand and opened the door so that Hermione could leave in cat form. It was a fine line letting Hermione in her in cat form, but then again she never turned human and Molly had put up wards to keep things on the level. Well more like keep Greg Granger from using his medical skills on him in a painful way. Besides he was sure that Hermione was just helping him and was not here in a romantic way. That would be wrong he knew, and he had vowed never to date a student ever!

He got up and walked to the bathroom where he showered, shaved and walked back to his room clad only in a towel. Hermione walked by him in human form and looked him over in strictly a medical manner (or so he hoped). He had gained back all the weight and muscle tone he had lost and more, he was at a healthy weight now and Poppy had done wonderful work in getting rid of many of his scars. The older deeper scars would remain, there was no way to get rid of all of them but he still cut a fine figure of a man physically. He had gotten a tattoo in place of where the evil mark had been, a simple cross was where the slave mark had been for years. Still he could not help but provoke her in human form, it amused him to see how cool and calm she could be even when he provoked her.

"Enjoying the view?" Severus said arching an eyebrow in amusement.

"Just making sure you are doing alright sir." Hermione said blushing slightly.

"Physically very well…" "How about mentally?" Molly asked walking up.

"I still have some nightmares, but they are getting better." Severus replied. "I am not like the mutt."

"Be nice to Sirius, he has been through hell and you know it." Molly warned Severus.

"I know, he still refuses to sleep in human form." Severus said then as Padfoot slunk by on four paws, "I have been tempted to ask Filius if he could charm a collar to keep him in dog form."

"That is not even funny Vampire!" Sirius said just as he morphed back into human form.

"Good morning Hermione, Sirius, mum….Professor Snape." Ginny walked by Severus, she did not even care he was practically naked, and he was not sure if he should be disturbed by this or not. In fact she probably would not even bat an eye if he did run around nude (not that he would he was close enough for it now) "you will catch your death sir if you don't get dressed."

"Please do, I don't like seeing your Vampire hide!" Sirius shot at him.

Severus was about to give him a rude sign when he saw the glare from Molly, instead he smirked at Sirius and walked into his rooms and dressed for the day in his customary black robes. He came out and headed down stairs to the dining room where breakfast was waiting. He took a seat and smiled as he saw Harry with Ginny, though Harry looked much like his father Severus could see the differences as now that he had actually started to like the boy he could look at him proper. His face was softer and kinder than his fathers, he smiled just like his mother and his eyes shone when he was happy. Unlike his father his hair was completely unmanageable, his father could get his hair to behave but Harry's was a lost cause as it refused to do anything but stick up all over. Ginny was of course shorter and stocker than Lily had been and she had warm brown eyes that lit up when she talked to Harry.

Bill was there with his long red hair tied back from his face, one thin scar on his face and his metal left hand resting on the table, he had earned this injury from Grayback but had killed the evil cur in battle. Next to him was Fleur and Severus being an Occulumens did not react to her, or mostly did not react. He was grateful for the fact he was seated. Greg and Diana Granger were here with their daughter. Sirius had offered his home to keep them safe from the death eaters but they had taken to living in a safe house set up by M-I6 and the magical part of the English government that was tied to the ministry. Hermione came down and took a seat by her parents and Severus felt something stir inside him yet once more he forced those feelings down as he knew, _knew _they were wrong. Severus would see Draco and Narcissa as they were staying at Hogwarts as it was just as safe as Grimmauld place, Rookwood would be with the Malfoy's as Lucius had always been good to him and had not been involved in his torture.

"Good morning." Sirius said to everyone there, "I see we have a vampire here, should I get some blood for you Severus?"

"Can you not be kind to professor Snape?" Harry asked.

"You know maybe I should have made those fangs for you when we were fixing your teeth." Diana said to Severus, "you could have had fun with those."

"Yes would you still please?" Severus asked Diana.

"I would, you could use that to scare the first years." Greg said smirking.

"Mum dad that would not be nice!" Hermione said embarrassed at the turn the conversation was taking.

"Well not all Vampires have pointed teeth do they?" Harry asked trying to defend Severus but failing at it as he got the patented Snape death glare. "Um well what I mean sir is well um…"

"For a boy who looked like he stuck his finger in a light socket commenting on my looks really is not so very bright is it Brat?" Severus said silkily.

"Sorry sir." Harry said grinning, "as for my hair Ginny likes it sir."

"I cannot see why." Severus said coolly.

"I love everything about him, even the Hungarian Horntail Dragon Tattoo he has on his shoulder." Ginny said sweetly getting Harry to blush and Severus to raise an eyebrow.

"I ah said I was thinking of getting one but well I have not as yet." Harry said. "I mean it would go well with the scars from her that I do have on my shoulder. I refused to let madam Pomfrey remove those."

"As long as you don't end up as tattooed as your dog father you should be just fine." Severus nearly purred. "He looks like a villain with all those on him."

"Alright enough, breakfast then presents!" Molly said firmly.

Breakfast was a marvelous affair, a truly British affair. There were eggs, three types of sausage, bacon, hot house tomatoes, toast, porridge coffee or tea and orange juice. Everyone ate well then after eating they went to the parlor to open their gifts. Severus liked Christmas, even as a child he had when he was so very poor and his parents had to scrimp and save to get him a few things. He liked to give best as he did like to make people happy contrary to popular belief and he had a wicked since of humor too. Remus and Tonks came shortly after breakfast having spent time with Tonks parents. They were going to get married just as soon as Scrimgeour changed the laws so that Remus had full rights under Wizarding law. Remus was clad in new navy blue robes and he looked very well carried for as he was, between Molly and Andromeda he was starting to fill out. Severus handed two wrapped bottles to Sirius and Remus and they opened them expecting flea dip but grinned when they saw manic bubbles from Weasley Wizarding Wheezes.

"So that is who ordered them by owl post!" Fred said grinning.

"Our dear professor Snape." George added.

"Though you don't…"

"Have to buy anything from us…"

"It's always on the…"

"house!"

"I cannot take anything from you for free boys, I wanted to buy them as you can always use more revenue." Severus said.

"But you are a shareholder!"

"Yea, um mum he helped along with Harry…"

"I didn't do anything" Harry said blushing, he looked up at Severus grinning.

"Spill it." Severus said.

"Um Imayhavegiventhemmytriwizardcupearnings?" Harry said blushing again.

"Well that was a smart thing to do." Arthur said, "they are doing very well with their shop."

"Yea we made sure that Harry is a stockholder like Professor Snape here."

"And me." Percy said then added as the family looked at him, "well the ministry does not pay all that well and um Fred and George are really brilliant."

The gift giving went on and Severus nearly got very emotional when he got a Weasley sweater from Molly all in black with a black snake worked into the design. He got from Hermione's parents an assortment of dried fruits and nuts from all over the world and from Remus and Sirius he got all of the Beatles records, Led Zeppelin and ACDC. He thanked them and then as one of the last gifts given Harry handed him a box and Severus noticed it was heavy. He opened it and saw a crystal decanter shaped like a snake filled with a very American muggle sweets called M&Ms. They were in Silver and Green and Severus loved them at once, he looked over at Harry who was smiling and blushing under Severus look.

"I ah thought you might like them sir." Harry said, "they really are good, you can use the decanter later sir."

"Thank you Harry, this was very thoughtful of you." Severus replied smiling warmly at the boy, "I have something for you, I found them in my house and thought you would like them."

"Thank you sir." Harry said taking the package he opened it and saw the photo album. "My mum and her friends from school, sir, this is thank you!"

"I gave a copy to Neville, his mother is in many pictures." Severus said quietly. "It is the least I could do, after what you two have gone through."

"Thank you sir." Harry said.

Severus had Christmas dinner with the Weasleys, Grangers, Harry, Remus and Sirius then went and saw Draco who was spending Christmas at Hogwarts. His mother was there and she was talking with her sister, it had been years since they had spoke and it was clear they had missed each other. Draco found he liked this aunt, she looked a bit like Bellatrix but she was nothing like Bellatrix. She was kind warm and honest and he had liked having her as head of house. She was as strict and as fair as Severus and she loved to keep up the friendly rivalry the other professors engaged in. She made sure that the Slytherins worked with the other houses and were not rude to them and so far it seemed to be helping mend many rifts in the school. Severus had so badly wanted to do that and he would once he got back to teaching but he could not for so long as spy of Voldemort.

He went back to Grimmauld place after speaking to McGonagall and Dumbledore and spoke quietly to Remus for a moment. Sirius was sitting in the sitting room when Remus came in petting a large black tom cat. The cat was purring in Remus' arms and Sirius wondered where this cat came from. Harry came in and smirked as he knew at once who the cat was but Sirius was still clueless. Hermione came in, saw the cat and took him from Remus and put him on the floor. She turned to her cat form and then back to human and looked at the cat who yawned, looked up at Sirius and turned human just as Greg and Diana came into the room with Molly Arthur and the twins. At once they had turned to foxes as they had been able to do this for years and Severus wanting to show off turned to back to Shadow his cat alter ego. They romped in the room for a time then turned human with Sirius sitting shocked at this turn of events.

"When did you learn to do that?" Sirius asked him.

"I finally got it down last night." Severus said.

"Well that is wonderful!" Diana said, "I would love to do that, I would want to be an Owl."

"Well Hermione is a cat, that is the next best thing." Greg said hugging his wife smiling at Severus.

"I am glad he can turn, he deserves this accomplishment." Remus said.

"I always thought you would turn to a bat." Sirius said.

"Hnn better than a mangy mutt." Severus said coolly.

"Vampire!"

"Mindless Mutt."

This was friendly bantering now, not the hateful fighting in school. Severus liked Sirius now and Sirius liked Severus as they had a lot in common, mainly Remus being their friend, yes Severus had got over his fear of Remus and was friends with him now, besides they had a common enemy. Voldemort was that enemy and soon he would be taken down and destroyed. Finally everyone gathered in the sitting room and had hot cocoa and Severus smiled feeling love here, love of family he had not felt for years. He would treasure this moment for the rest of his life as he was a part of a family once more and no more did he have to live alone.

**x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x**

_I love Christmas, the best can come out in others. I was listening to ACDC when I wrote this and so I included them in Severus's gifts. As for Severus becoming an Animagmus, he earned it! I think it's something he really wanted to do for years and of course him as a cat well he has the perfect personality for it. Besides when you have a cat sitting staring at you when you are writing well that can give you ideas. My black cat in fact gave me the idea for Severus being a black cat after all. _

_Yes Severus is falling for Hermione, he knows better than to act on it. Hermione sleeping with him in cat form is fine as well it's human and cat right? She is of legal age here too, fully eighteen nearly nineteen though student teacher relations are still frowned on and Severus knows this very well. He simply will not start anything with her at all!_


	14. Equations and Dementors

Chapter Fourteen: Equations and Dementors:

Rookwood stepped back from the blackboard and looked over the sprawling mass of number symbols and other things that were very much like physics, that is if physics used magic and Arithmancy. Ginny was here with him and she looked over the board and erased a line and added her own. Rookwood nodded and began to go over the work again. Ginny was very smart and understood the Dementors unlike so many others. Voldemort had been one of the few that could control the Dementors and he had passed some of the knowledge that Ginny was using now via the diary, (then again the Horcrux in the diary planned on her death but that had not happened, she was here now), some but not all of her knowledge came from here. She was very gifted and enjoyed working with mathematics and was top in her Arithmancy class. In fact she would be one of many in the magical world that would study Physics even while she followed her dream of playing for the Hollyhead Harpies. Ron came in eating a sandwich and watched with awe his sister working with ease with mathematics.

"I wish I was smart." Ron said as he ate his sandwich.

"You are smart, you know more defensive spells and charms than most yer age." Rookwood said pausing in his work. "Not everyone understands the swan song language of math, numbers and the spells they cast on all men."

"Hermione says I am smart, she said she would hex me if I did not start using my brains." Ron said.

"Well she is right." Ginny said stepping back and studying the board. "I wonder if this would work." Here she added a line to the end of the equation. "There I think that does it."

"Let's see." Rookwood said waving his wand just as Harry came into the room.

The equation formed into two lines of a spell and Rookwood chanted the top line while Ginny chanted the bottom line. At once an eerie otherworldly sound came from the board and Harry looked at it wide-eyed with fear. He wanted to go to the voices at run away from them all at once, they were the same voices at the Veil when he saw Moody fall and he felt tears in his eyes and would have broke down if not for a firm but gentle hand on his shoulder. He turned surprised to see Severus here and thought he had entered a parallel universe as Severus was looking at him with real concern. Harry tried to speak but Severus was steering him out of the room and once out of the classroom he shoved chocolate into Harry's hands.

"What part of do not disturb Rookwood and Ginny did you not get?" Severus warned Harry firmly.

"I thought well I could watch sir." Harry said. "I thought it would not bother them if I watched!"

"Harry in some things you are very smart like your mother, however there are times when you are like your father and not in a good way!" Severus scolded him.

"My father…" Harry began but he was cut off by Severus.

"Your father turned out to be, a, a fine man but only because your mother tamed him. If not for her love and kindness your father would not have been a good man!"

"I know sir, Remus tells me things, but sir I was being good!" Harry protested.

"You should not have been in there, you are too connected to what goes on in there." Severus said, "you…worried me."

"I did sir?" Harry said looking shocked at this.

"Yes Brat, I have always cared for you, but I thought you were so light you father, I took care of you for your mother's sake. Yet you are far more like her, accept for some things but that cannot be helped. Just do try to be more like your mother will you, your father would have agreed."

"Yes sir, they were great people, saved me, you did all you could to save others too sir." Harry said, "you still do, all I did was live, you sir are the true hero, and Cedric is and Remus is and the headmaster…"

"You forgot me." Sirius said walking up grinning.

"Oh yes the mutt has to claim his part." Severus said silkily.

"Shut up Vampire." Sirius said turning to Harry, "so how are you doing staying out of trouble?"

"No he went into the room where Ginny and Rookwood are working on the equation to get rid of the Dementors." Severus said.

Sirius was about to scold Harry a bit, something he hated doing when he heard a commotion. The doors to the castle far below opened and two men drug a struggling captive bound and hooded into the castle. They drug him up the stairs and Severus froze as he knew the man well by his gate and the fact he was swearing colorfully. Anger was all over his face as he knew this was McNair, the very same who had tortured him and used him and he shoved down the humiliation he had suffered and let raw rage come to the surface. Severus walked up and grabbed MacNair by the front of his robes and yanked him forward. He could care less about not roughing up prisoners, what this thing did to him was personal and painful and he was going to see him suffer and pay for that!

"Hello Wally remember me?" Severus said low and silkily, "Rook and I are looking forward to paying you back."

"Severus?" MacNair said stopping his struggling, "so you did enjoy our time together."

"I did not say we would do what you did to us to you personally." Severus said in a low growl, "I was thinking a rusty knife and making it very slow and painful. You will be a eunuch and you will live and I will have your manhood in a jar on my desk! Then when that is done you will have your magic bound, yes I know that is nearly impossible but I will do my best to see it done. You will be then given to the goblins as I near they really hate people like you and you will suffer under them for the rest of your worthless life."

"Unless I get a hold of him first sir." Ginny said, she had heard the commotion and had come out, "I know a few useful spells as a witch."

"I will take pictures." Harry said meaning it and as Sirius and Severus looked at him, "well to remind me not to upset her ever."

"None of you can harm him." Dawlish said grabbing MacNair again, "he is the ministry's, you may have a right but leave him to us for now."

"Yea we will have him begging for his mummy when all is said and done." Savage the other Auror replied.

The prisoner was lead to a room and secured but that was not the end it, shortly after the prisoner had been brought here the minister came into the school. He brought the one thing that Dumbledore did not want in his school a Dementor. As Scrimgeour walked up the stairs the Dementor made his way by him quietly gliding along. Unfortunately Sirius was in the hall and the Dementor sensed him as one of its own at one time. It turned and Sirius backed to the wall a chill coming over him, he had no time to protect his mind, no time to shut down or change to Padfoot before the Dementor had complete power over him. Sirius cried out in terror and fell to the floor his eyes glazed over as the Dementor glided over. There were shouts and two bright lights solidified into Patronus, one a Stag the other a Doe. Scrimgeour looked upset at the reaction of Sirius in fact he was upset at the Dementor not Sirius.

"He is not yours." Scrimgeour said to the Dementor who despite the two Patronus wanted to get at Sirius who was curled up whimpering in terror. "He does not belong to you."

"Sir let us take care of this thing." Rookwood said walking from the classroom Ginny by his side.

"What do you mean to do?" Scrimgeour asked.

"There are children here sir." Ginny replied, "that thing has to be destroyed."

"No, this thing will get that scum that was caught to talk. I will not let you destroy it." Scrimgeour said coldly.

"Even though it is a demon?" Ginny shot back, "we can destroy it, all of them, let us do this."

"You can destroy them? How, that is not possible!"

"It is sir." Rookwood said, "at least I worked it out, with help from Miss Weasley here."

"Great a barefoot ex-death eater and a sixth year girl." Scrimgeour muttered but aloud he said, "I cannot stop you."

He was torn between wanting the power the Dementor offered and wanting the foul creature destroyed. He stepped back to let Rookwood who was barefoot and clad in soft woolen brown robes and Ginny do what they had to in order to end the Dementor. She began to chant the spell and the Dementor stopped advancing on Sirius and backed from the sound. It shook its head as if to rid itself of pain and it put its rotted hands to its head. The Patronus shone brighter and the Dementor let out one high wail and with a puff it turned to dust and blew away. Scrimgeour motioned to the two Aurors who had come with him and went to interrogate the prisoner. Sirius looked up at both Harry's stag and Severus's doe with wonder and awe, Severus conjured up a stretcher as he knew there was something terribly wrong with Sirius. He managed to get Sirius onto the stretcher and he was about to banish his Patronus when Sirius said something that stopped him.

"Lily!" Sirius said.

"Yes Lily, she lives in this." Severus said.

"Prongs and Lily." Sirius said curling up on the cot starting to shiver.

"Damn, damn, damn!" Severus swore more in worry than anything else.

"What can I do?" Harry asked walking up.

"Stay by him while I get him to the infirmary." Severus replied.

Harry did and Sirius went from trembling and crying to trying to moaning and sweating and biting his hand. Severus knew what this was and it scared him, Sirius had been attacked by the Dementor full force. Unable to defend himself from the assault all Sirius could do was mentally back up from the Dementor as best he could. Unfortunately that meant shutting down as much as he could, but it clearly had hurt him and he was delirious now. Harry felt Sirius grab his arm and look at him with unfocused eyes and Harry knew that Sirius did not see Harry Potter his godson but James Potter his father. Sirius looked up and saw Severus and by him the silver doe was still walking watching Sirius with concern. Sirius curled up even tighter and sobbed even harder. Harry did his best to sooth him but this was scary to watch his godfather fall completely apart.

"Padfoot Shh it's okay, we are here for you." Harry said softly.

"Lily, she is here, where is she?" Sirius asked.

"Right next to you Padfoot." Harry said nearly choking up. "Severus is guarding her.

"James you old dog you let Severus guard Lily?" Sirius said between sobs and trembling. "Severus is a good man, be kind to him James promise?"

"I promise." Harry said softly, "Remus and I will and so will you."

They got to the hospital wing and Poppy seeing Sirius muttered darkly about Dementors and called for Dobby. She ordered chocolate for him and while Dobby got that Harry and Severus got Sirius into a nightshirt and into bed. Once the chocolate milk came Harry helped Sirius drink it down then eat the chocolate. It began to help and for good measure Severus gave him a dreamless drought. Sirius was soon fast asleep and Severus was about to head out of the door when Poppy ordered him back.

"Sit, chocolate for both of you and Severus you are not going to vent your temper on the minister no matter how you feel he deserves it." Poppy warned him.

"How was MacNair captured?" Severus asked forcing down his anger and a piece of chocolate.

"A group of death eaters tried to take Draco." Harry said and at what color was in Severus face left him "oh he is fine, I think he killed one or two. Anyway from what Fred said it was not the death eaters day to come to Hogsmeade. We got MacNair and I think five were killed."

"Five, the dark lord is not going to be happy." Severus replied.

"I know but who cares if he is?" Harry said. "He has killed and maimed so many I want him dead!"

"I know, I do too." Severus replied.

Harry wanted to stay by Sirius that night but Severus promised him he would and Harry went to try and study before he went to bed. It was hard as having seen his godfather broken like that had hurt badly. Ginny came in and did her best to make him feel better and it worked. Harry went to bed not aware that the death eaters had captured one of their own. Next morning Severus woke to find Sirius still asleep, he thought for a moment on rudely waking the insane Animagmus but Sirius woke and yawned and Severus walked over to see if he was alright. Sirius took one look at him and put the pillow over his head. After a time he removed it looking highly embarrassed.

"Harry must think I am weak and completely mad." Sirius said.

"No he was worried about you though." Severus replied. "So was I, because well Harry would be upset if anything happened to you."

"Which is why you stunned me so I could not go to the battle in the ministry." Sirius added, "though we lost Moody."

"I miss him, he did interrogate me but he was not the one who tortured me all those years ago, that was Crouch."

"Ah yes Crouch, may he and his son rot in hell!" Sirius said darkly.

He heard a commotion and got up out of the bed and turned to Padfoot so he could hear what was going on outside. He listened at the door and came back to the bed and got in just as Poppy came into the room. She saw Sirius in bed and walked out of the hospital wing to quiet those outside. Sirius looked grim and Severus knew something had happened.

"What is it Mutt?"

"Percy Weasley, the raid last night, the death eaters got him." Sirius replied.

"I know where they will take him." Severus said, "I know where Riddle manor is."

"Poppy will not let me leave." Sirius said.

"Wait until she gets back and goes to her office, then we can make a break for it." Severus said.

"You would have been a good Marauder, too damn bad I was such an ass to you in school." Sirius said.

"I was just as bad."

Sirius acted as if he was asleep when Poppy came back and Severus looked up from his reading. Poppy checked both men over getting Sirius to "wake up" for a moment before he went back to sleep. She went to her office and after a few moments Severus got up and Sirius turned to Padfoot. They got out of the hospital wing and walked to a tunnel Sirius knew well. They were the only ones who could save Percy or so Severus hoped. They left the school grounds and Apparated just outside Riddle Manor. Severus felt sick and cold at the sight of the manor but he quickly turned to his cat form and Sirius turned to Padfoot. Two animals would not be noticed on the grounds of the manor and Severus knew where the entrance had been (and would still be as Voldemort would not think a witch would just walk out and not use a port key) and went under the manor. Once near the torture chamber the animals turned human.

"You alright Severus?" Sirius asked.

"No, I will spew later though." Severus said.

"Good, let's hope he is still alive." Sirius replied.

They were careful as they entered the chamber, the very one that Severus had been in. Voldemort was expecting magic, a port key or Apparation not two wizards just walking into the dungeons under Riddle manor. It was his biggest mistake, he had thought Hermione had used magic alone to rescue Severus and so he had not thought to ward the entrance from outside to his dungeons. Then again he had not grown up in Riddle manor so he might not have known about it. Severus entered the torture chamber first and killed the death eaters with ease inside and saw Percy strung up his robes in tatters and blood was covering the floor. Sirius got him down while Severus covered the door. Percy moaned in pain and tried to stand but could not as his kneecaps were shattered.

"Percy can you hear me?" Severus asked.

"I will not tell you a damn thing." Percy said blood trickling from his mouth.

"Let's go, now." Sirius said taking out his wand, "I am leaving a calling card."

"Put it on delay you damn mutt, I don't plan on being the dark lord's entertainment ever again."

"You got it master Vampire." Sirius said.

He set the spell on delay and helped Severus take Percy from the room, they had to carry him out as using any more magic than was needful could tip off Voldemort. They came to the small exit and left sealing it as they did so that Voldemort would be puzzled as how they had got in. Then once off the grounds they Apparated to Hogwarts and Severus conjured up a stretcher. They took Percy to the hospital wing where Poppy on seeing Percy forgot about the scolding she was going to give Sirius. She got Percy to a bed and scanned him and went very pale.

"I am so sorry but there is nothing I can do." Poppy said, "I can make him comfortable but there is nothing that will keep him alive."

"I, I will get Molly and Arthur." Severus said, "and the others."

He walked out of the room forcing himself to keep his calm exterior while inside he felt as if he was breaking apart. He cursed Voldemort for this needless death and he vowed once more he would see Voldemort pay for what he had done….

**x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x**

_Well I figured I wanted to show a very human side to Sirius. I don't think he can cast a Patronus now as he did spend so many unjust years in Azkaban. He really had a rough life and it's good he has others around him. As for the equation and such, I see Ginny as so very bright and wanted her to be able to use her intelligence. I was thinking of keeping Percy alive and killing him really did hurt but it had to be done._


	15. A Funeral and Revelations

Chapter Fifteen: A Funeral and Revelations:

Severus hated funerals with a passion. They reminded him of the deaths of his parents, first his father than his mother a year later. Oh he knew death was part of life but he hated seeing the young die and he hated the fact that Percy Weasley would never have children, never laugh or see the sun again. It was little comfort to know that he was in a better place because his family needed him here! Severus felt uncomfortable here on the stand, one of the speakers at this boy's funeral. He was not the head of house for Percy but he was his friend and he felt humbled he would be allowed to speak after McGonagall, who was after Molly and Arthur.

Of course him being alive and free was amazing in of itself, he was surprised between the headmaster, Poppy, Molly and McGonagall he was still alive after he had gone off to get Percy. They had been most displeased with him and yet he had helped take down part of Riddle manor and really make Voldemort paranoid to the extent there were rumors he didn't even sleep anymore. Still when Dumbledore had confronted him Severus wanted to forget that, the worry, disappointment and anger in Dumbledore's eyes had showed him just how much he meant to the aged headmaster. Severus came back to the present and got to his feet as he was next to speak and Molly sat down while he walked to the podium. For one moment he wanted to run panic setting in but he cursed himself for these feelings, he had to do this, he owed the Weasley family that much.

He did not remember much of what he said, he must have gone off his notes and his speech was not long but it was what the Wizarding world needed. Like it or not (and really he did not) he was a hero and one who had nearly died for his work. He managed to not panic or give into his emotions and when done he took a seat by McGonagall very much aware of the Auror guard here to keep him safe. Rookwood had wanted to come but it was even more dangerous for him out of the castle now than for Severus. He had pressed on Severus a small charm clumsily made by his own hands to put in the coffin of the young man. Fred and George got up to speak last as and everyone here wondered what they would have to say or what they would do.

"I know what you are thinking, we have planned a prank." Fred began.

"But we did not, we could not think if a thing to do." George added, "I am going to let Fred speak as he is better at this."

"Thanks brother dearest." Fred said as George went to sit down, "you can get those fireworks ready." There was a bit of laughter at this, "no when I was asked to speak I was not sure what to say, how does one talk at the memorial of a dear brother? I know George and I gave Percy a hard time but we loved him and wanted to cheer him up. We called him a prat and well we were mistaken on that. Percy was a brilliant, brave kind wizard and great brother." Here Fred choked up, "darn it I lost! I owe you five gallons George." There was a bit of laughter. "Well Percy was a great man and well George and I want to do something to remember him by. As he was so smart and all we wanted to start a scholarship in his honor."

There was applause and Fred sat down, and the priest got up to give the final words before Percy was put to rest. There was a bit of a surprise by the twins, how could there not be? Fireworks lit up the sky and spelled out "Percy is Brilliant" and "Greatest Brother Ever". The memorial gathering after was at Hogwarts as it was very safe and large enough for all who wanted to pay their respects. Severus was saddened by the loss of one so young and he wished that he could take the pain away from the Weasley family. Finally the memorial was over and Severus was going back to Grimmauld place when Dumbledore came up to speak to him. Severus was surprised to see the headmaster in robes of navy blue, the closest the headmaster would come to mourning colors.

"I need to speak with you Severus, and Harry and Augustus."

"Rookwood sir, please headmaster call me Rookwood." Rookwood coming up to stand by Severus and Dumbledore, "good news sir?"

"I think so, we need such at a time like this, ah Harry!" Dumbledore said as Harry came up. "Good, Sirius and Remus should be there already."

The three followed Dumbledore up out of the great hall and up to a little used part of the school. They came to some dark and dusty rooms that were undergoing renovation, they came to a winding stair, went up and came to some small rooms and entered to see Sirius and Remus talking to a hooded man clad in robes of black, the hood of his black robes over his face. He was a slight man and looked very frail and though he should have been sitting by the fire he was in shadow as if he was shamed to show his face. Severus stepped up and came up short as he knew the man! This man, Quirrell was suppose to be dead! How then was he alive and here?

"Headmaster why is he here much less alive?" Severus asked going for his wand.

"I have not lost my senses my boy." Dumbledore said, "this is truly Quintus Quirrell, he made a mistake and was trapped but his reasons were good."

"Going to Albania to find the dark lord was a good thing?" Severus snarled.

"I went to find the Diadem of Ravenclaw, the gray lady said it was there." Quirrell said quietly. "He trapped me and forced me to his will. Many times I knew not what I did the headmaster he saved me, when the dark lord fled from me."

"So like what happened to Ginny, only it was um a bit worse for you?" Harry asked.

"I don't know, I was a fool to get trapped, I will die but before I do Voldemort will die first."

"Harry do you know what a Horcrux is?" Dumbledore asked Harry.

"No sir, what is one?"

"A Horcrux is created by a witch or wizard splitting their soul by first degree murder. A spell is chanted to remove the part torn and put into a vessel." Sirius said.

"Like Tom Riddle's diary?" Harry said his eyes going wide.

"Yes like that." Remus added looking at Sirius who looked like he was going to be sick. "You want me to tell the rest?"

"No I can, though in theory it seems easy to create one it is not. In fact most who attempt to do so die or at the very least go mad. Many thought my mother went mad with grief for Regulus, I think, I think she murdered my father then tried that."

"He made seven, or would have." Quirrell said, "if not for the miracle that stopped him that first time and gave us some breathing room he would have done just that."

"But how could he? You said one was hard enough!" Harry said.

"We think that he could make one and then from that he could do others, theory is that only seven could be created, any more and one would lose sense of self." Quirrell said, "I spoke long with Slughorn on this matter and he realized he was not at fault for what happened with Riddle."

"No he was not." Severus replied, "the dark lord could charm anyone in those days, no he still does even now."

"So if Voldemort created or was going to create seven, was I, am I one?" Harry asked.

"No, no human or other intelligent being could be used for that." Dumbledore said. "An animal yes but once the animal died then the one who created the Horcrux would be mortal."

Harry and everyone who did now know the truth took this in. Voldemort was completely evil in what he had done, this was against the laws of nature at the least and for those that did believe in God against his divine laws. Harry wondered what more there was, he had learned so much in the past few years, how he was the only one who could take down Voldemort in the end. He knew the headmaster really had tried, he had tried in the ministry and was unable to. For some reason it was up to Harry to get rid of Voldemort once and for all. Yet that did not mean he was going to do it all on his own, no he had help, lots of it and he would not go this alone. Others would make sure the odds were in his favor and what was more they wanted to make sure he knew that.

"All but one has been destroyed." Dumbledore said, "I have asked Neville to kill Nagini."

"So that means I must kill Voldemort then." Harry said.

"Yes, I will be glad to see him die." Quirrell said smiling a bit sadly.

"Does that mean you will die?" Harry asked.

"Yes it does, but do not morn me I am glad to be allowed to live to watch him die at least." Quirrell replied, "my time is cursed but I do not mind."

"You helped destroy these then knowing you would die when he did." Harry said looking at Quirrell with respect. "Sir you are very brave."

"Oh I don't know about brave but I do what I can, after all I did to you in your first year it is the least I can do."

"Thank you." Harry said quietly humbled by this sacrifice.

It was not the only sacrifice to be made, there was another though this one was not to be a human sacrifice. Rookwood had worked out how to get rid of all the Dementors all at once and it involved the death veil, the spell and a house elf. It was for that reason a few days after the funeral elves from all over England who were not attached to those following Voldemort and were allowed by their masters to come to Hogwarts had gathered in the great hall. There were a few goblins here to take notes on what was to happen and be witnesses for the historic event. Rookwood stood before the elves then knelt getting on their level and spoke to them explaining the deed that had to be done.

"I have worked out how to get rid of the Dementors along with Miss Ginny Weasley." Rookwood said. "Unfortunately the only way is for a non-human, more specific a house elf such as you is needed."

"What is you needing a house elf for sir?" Dobby asked.

"To chant a spell at the veil of death." Rookwood said, "only one who volunteers with pure heart wishing to do this to their core can do this. But if you do then you will die, you will not survive."

The elves spoke among themselves, it was rare that any human would act as Rookwood had. He could have chose a house elf to do what he wanted and not told the truth, but then he would have betrayed the little creatures and he did not want to do that. Finally it seemed one elf, none other than Kreacher had settled it, he was the oldest elf here and so he was really in charge as it were and he was going to take advantage of that now. He stepped forward to Rookwood and looked up at him with his watery eyes squaring his shoulders as he did so.

"We is having a discussion," he said, "Kreacher is oldest of the elves here and Kreacher will do this."

"You know you will die?" Rookwood said, "you cannot be ordered back?"

"Kreacher knows this, Kreacher glad to do this, all house elves would do this but Kreacher is oldest and he will do this."

"Very well, goblins you have what you need?"

"We do." Griphook said.

Sirius was very emotional his elf had chosen to do this deed. He wanted to free Kreacher in honor but Kreacher did not want that. He settled for a new pillowcase and went to the ministry to cast the spell knowing he was going to die. He stood before the veil while several unspeakables watched in awe as he began to chant the spell as taught by Rookwood. At first nothing happened and all here were worried that it was not going to work. Then the veil glowed and far and wide all over England and Azkaban isle the Dementors let of a long wail of despair. The light intensified and grew too bright to look and the deep voice of Kreacher droned on. Finally there was a flash and then darkness and all over the land the Dementors winked out and vanished completely destroyed. When those in the room could see again Kreacher was nowhere to be found and the veil had crumbled to the floor in a heap.

**x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x**

_Well I had this idea in my head for a bit and had to get it out here. I wanted to let Quirrell have a chance to redeem himself. Yes he will die, once Voldemort does he will too there is no way he can live. He is fine with this and just wants to see Voldemort die before he dies. Rookwood is decent here, telling the elves the truth about the spell and letting them choose. How could we have any other but Kreacher do this as he had a hard life and would want to go out honorably helping others. With the Dementors out of the way Voldemort just lost a lot of power._


	16. Trapped Again

Chapter Sixteen: Trapped Again:

The man watched as Severus Snape walked through the atrium with two Aurors flanking him. It really was too good to be true, here was Severus Snape walking straight into his hands as it were. Lord Voldemort would love to have this prize. Scrimgeour wanted to meet with Snape, in the ministry and no matter how Dumbledore protested it was not safe for Severus he had ordered him here. But Dumbledore had a right to worry about Severus's safety, for there was more than one in the ministry who worked for Voldemort. Yaxley just happened to be one of them. He did not hate Severus but he knew that this was a prize that would get him honor. Besides the lies about what the dark lord had done to Rookwood were that, lies, Wormtail had gone against orders and had a bit of fun on his own when he was ordered to kill Rookwood not torture him as he had.

Yaxley hand to time this right, he had to get between the Aurors and Severus and grab Severus and use the portkey he always carried. It would be tricky but these Aurors would not pose much of a threat. He followed them covered by his invisibility cloak up to the offices where the minister was and he waited until the right moment and he attacked. Severus never got a chance to go for his wand, he was grabbed and Yaxley used the portkey to get them away leaving two stunned Aurors behind. The alarms went off and the ministry was put in lock down as the hue and cry went up that Severus Snape had been kidnapped. It was not looking good for the minister right now as he was going to have to face Dumbledore and that was something he was not looking forward to as he exited his office.

Meanwhile Severus landed hard and rolled away from Yaxley who had removed his cloak and had Severus's wand faster than Severus could move. Severus had one last weapon to use but before he could move the capsule around to his teeth with his tongue he was hit with a powerful perfectus spell and he found himself facing Voldemort who looked amused. Voldemort forced his mouth open and summoned the Cyanide capsule and destroyed it with his wand. He then removed the spell and Severus fell to his knees too scared to even try to stand. He was having trouble just keeping his features neutral as he knew he was going to suffer far worse than he had before. This was not happening, not again and he just wanted to die right then and there. Yet Voldemort was not having any of that, he had his pet potions master back and he was going to show him who was his real master.

"Thank you Yaxley, you may go." Voldemort said and Yaxley bowed and scurried out. "You have been causing me a lot of trouble child."

"I hate you." Severus snarled.

"Yes I know you do and I know why, love of a mudblood?" Voldemort said mockingly. "Such a waste."

"You are half muggle yourself." Severus snapped and braced for a hit or curse, he was not prepared for Voldemort to laugh.

"Severus you amuse me, you know why I had you tortured?"

"You were going to kill me you bastard!" Severus snarled.

"No child I had to torture you but I was not really going to take you apart, you had your reason for betraying me." Voldemort said walking closer to his kneeling prisoner. "Rookwood did not and he deserved his suffering. But you, you just needed to be humbled, then I could have reshaped you to your greatness."

"What pray tell does having me assaulted do to reshape as you state?" Severus said softly.

"I had to have you punished and keep the baser ones of my death eaters happy." Voldemort said tracing his fingers down Severus's face. "But I never would have allowed them to take your hands, or anything else that is mine."

"I do not bare the mark anymore." Severus snapped.

"You don't have to in order to be mine child." Voldemort replied.

Severus willed himself to be strong, to fight back but being snatched from safety and thrust back into hell was too much. True he had not been tortured or even hurt yet but he knew it was coming. He tried to remain strong but the humiliation, pain and suffering came back in vivid living color. Voldemort was right, he was his he was owned and he was dirty and useless and belonged to Voldemort for who else would want him now? He was nothing more than Voldemort's slave and whore to be used as he wished. With this realization Severus tried to keep his emotions in check but could not. He began to sob and Voldemort smiled at the pain Severus was going through. He looked down at Severus and reached down grabbing his left arm, Severus did not fight back as the sleeve of his robe was unbuttoned and his pale arm exposed. Voldemort traced a finger where the mark should have been then let Severus's arm go.

"Let me tell you a little secret shall I?" Voldemort said leaning close to Severus's ear, "I always had a werewolf just outside the door when I visited you, now you know."

"I-I don't understand." Severus said looking up at Voldemort.

"I could have had you taken apart at anytime child." Voldemort said, "know this I own you."

"Why don't you just kill me?" Severus said.

"Because I don't want you dead, such talent wasted." Voldemort said softly, "you and I are alike, dark and you must realize I am your true master."

Voldemort walked from Severus who was trembling and trying not to cry as he was humiliated and scared. Voldemort got a goblet of wine and drank it looking at Severus with amusement. Yet there was nothing amusing about causing pain to a good and noble man like Severus. Voldemort was pure evil but Severus knew who his master was and he knew he had no choice but to serve this dark lord. Voldemort finished his wine and looked up as Yaxley came in, bowed low and told him something Severus could not hear. He left and Voldemort walked back up to Severus and ran a hand down Severus's locks of black hair.

"My poor pet, confused and lost but I will protect you." Voldemort said softly.

"You do not mean that." Severus said.

"Oh yes I will , but one word from you." Voldemort said crouching down by Severus and whispering into his ear, "call me master."

"Y-yes master." Severus stammered.

He had not meant to say it, he had not wanted to say that but it came out all too easily. Severus knew he was defeated and he bowed his head as Voldemort stood up and looked down at his prisoner who was sobbing freely now. Somewhere Severus heard his name being called and he tried to go to that voice as he knew it meant safety. He felt someone shaking him and he came too drenched in sweat, he was in bed at Grimmauld place and his capture had been a horrible nightmare, no, no it was more than that. He curled up trembling trying not to remember the horror of what he had just gone through. Hermione sat by him on the bed and did her best to soothe him and bring him back to them. Severus came back slowly and realized that Hermione was not the only one in the room, he opened his eyes and looked up to see Harry there concern on his face.

"What do you want Potter?" Severus snarled, "I don't want your pity."

"I um was awake and heard you and um he ah got into your head didn't he sir?" Harry asked not making a good job of explaining himself. "He does that to me and well I thought."

"Nice to know you do that." Severus snapped trying to get Harry to go away but Harry refused to leave.

"You are not going to push me away sir." Harry said firmly. "I know what you are going through, when he gets in your mind. Remember you are talking to the one he does this to all the time, really tiring though."

"He does this to you, how do you bear it?" Severus asked, "I am weak, so weak…"

"No sir, he is just really cunning and caught you off guard. Now you know he likes to play his little games you will be ready for him." Harry said, "you are far stronger in the mind arts than I am sir."

"Does not seem like it." Severus shot back.

"Well soon he will be dead, I swear to God I will kill Voldemort for his evil ways." Harry said.

Severus knew that Harry meant that, he looked at the boy and saw grim determination in his face. What had Voldemort put this boy through? Severus felt badly for the boy before him, for him to have to grow up so fast and have to face such evil that he had was nearly too much for him. Thinking on what Voldemort must have showed the boy Severus felt shame and he felt dirty and knew the boy had to see him as weak and damaged now. Hermione had seen him naked, hanging by his wrists and helpless but Harry having seen more, the actual torture was too much for Severus. He curled up turned away from Harry and Hermione but they were having none of that. Hermione sat on one side of him and softly rubbed his back while Harry sat on the other and tentatively put a hand on his shoulder. Severus wanted to shake him off but he didn't as Harry would just try to comfort him again.

"You are not weak or dirty sir." Harry said, "I don't care what he said he is the one who is weak, dirty and vile."

"Severus I don't see you as weak, I never have." Hermione said as she softly brushed his hair out of his face.

"Even when you saw me there like that?" Severus asked.

"Yes, you were hurt but you still had fight left." Hermione replied softly. "He had not taken that from you."

"This last year you have kept working." Harry added, "you have helped so many from going over to Vo-Tom Marvolo."

"That was Rookwood when the school saw how the dark lord treats his most loyal it kept many from joining, I did nothing." Severus replied.

"Well you did, Rita Skeeter loves writing about you." Harry said grinning.

"That is not funny Harry, she makes me look like some love sick fool." Severus growled.

"And she makes me look like some bloody hero when you and I know the truth." Harry said.

"What truth is that Harry?"

"I am a pain in the ass, get into more trouble than I should and it was my mum and dad who saved my life and destroyed Voldemort that first time. I will finish him the second time I am no hero for living!"

"So glad you realize that now." Severus replied silkily.

"I want to end this, but I don't know how." Harry said, "I know it is up to me but what do I do how do I end this? Our wands are brothers and I cannot duel him as I am not strong enough there."

"Use your strengths, what are you better at?" Hermione asked.

"Well um not much, I ah am good at Quidditch and um such but other than that."

"What about you killing the Basilisk in your second year?" Severus asked.

"Oh ah, yes I did, so I could use a sword, but isn't he good at that too?" Harry asked.

"Yes he can use a sword too." Severus replied.

"You could shoot him." Hermione said getting the two wizards to look at her. "What it would work."

"But it would not be sporting at all." Harry said, "I think the sword will have to be the best option."

"You will need training then." Severus replied, "unless you think you are ready."

"Well I would be honored if you would train me sir." Harry said humbly.

Severus leaned back against the headboard and looked at the young man before him. Harry looked much like his father it was true but then as Severus looked at the boy, really looked at him he saw that aside from the glasses and hair Harry looked much more like his mother than father. He had his mother's eyes of course and he had her smile and softer more gentle features. He had her good nature too that despite all that had happened to him he still had a good cheerful nature about him. Sure he had his bouts of temper and he was not perfect but all in all he managed to hold onto his good temper despite the abuse he had gone through living with the Dursleys and later the troubles he had at Hogwarts. Many of those troubles were his, Severus's fault as he had grossly misjudged the boy and had been cruel to him when he should have been kinder and better to him than he had been.

"May I ask you a question Harry?" Severus asked.

"Yes sir." Harry replied.

"How can you still have good cheer even now?" Severus said.

"Well I see that others have had it worse, take the bible, Joseph was sold to Egypt by his own brothers, David instead of being lauded and treated well by king Saul was almost killed and of course there is Job."

"You are still too bloody cheerful!" Severus snapped.

"Well you know why now." Harry said smiling. "I refuse to be miserable, don't want it don't want to be that way at all."

"If you were left on a deserted island you would build a house out of the sand!"

"No more like a castle." Harry said grinning. "With a pool and sun deck and a potions lab for you sir!"

"You cheeky brat!" Severus replied.

"Why don't you come downstairs sir, I think some of that cake Mrs. Weasley may be left, if Ron or Remus have not ate it all." Harry said.

Severus grabbed a robe and drew it on and followed Harry and Hermione to the kitchen. There they found cake left and each took a piece and sat at the scrubbed kitchen table. Severus realized that he was lucky, he had escaped hell and had friends now. Of course he had always had friends in his colleagues at Hogwarts but outside Hogwarts he had not had any friends. He looked up as Sirius and Remus came into the room and Remus took much of what was left of the cake leaving a piece for Sirius. He took a seat and if he had heard anything regarding Severus's nightmare neither he or Sirius would say anything about it. The final battle was coming and soon Voldemort would get what he deserved and be cast into the hell he so richly deserved.

**x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x**

_I could not really put Severus physically into danger with Voldemort. But it was not a nightmare he had, Voldemort got into his mind and is trying to destabilize him. He has lost a lot of power but he is still so very powerful and he wants to show he can still harm and hurt even from a distance. Having Harry be so caring and kind, well he could be in canon and besides who does not like a kind caring Harry with a cheerful attitude no matter what has happened to him in life? That is what I like about Harry, even after all sorts of horrible things happened to him he turned out just fine in the end with a family and wonderful wife. _


	17. Confronting the Dark Lord

Chapter Seventeen: Confronting the Dark Lord:

Spring was here and it was a fine bright warm spring too. The birds sang in the trees, the squid swam nearer the shore and bright flags flapped in the breeze on the towers of Hogwarts castle. It should have been a peaceful spring day with students outside enjoying the fine weather. Yet right now centaurs clad for war were patrolling the grounds of the castle and dwarves were up on the battlements watching for trouble. Inside the castle, in the great hall a group of students, ministry officials, professors, media and witches and wizards the world over stood waiting and watching. On the dais stood two boys waiting, one was getting tall with short spiky black hair, round glasses with bright green eyes behind them, the other was shorter, with a round face, a bit fat with short brown hair and eyes to match.

The war was on and Voldemort had accepted the summons to come to Hogwarts. What was interesting was the fact that Harry along with others had got a lot of help from other intelligent magical creatures. They were more or less united against Voldemort and had been very happy that the Dementors were gone. So now everyone was on edge waiting to see what Voldemort would do. None could trust him as he had proven he never could be trusted ever again.

"So you think he will come?" Neville asked Harry.

"Oh he will come, after what I said to him?" Harry smirked, "that was fun."

"What if he kills you, you ever think of that Potter?" Rookwood asked from where he stood with Severus.

"Yea but at least I will go out fighting, should be fun." Harry said fighting down the horrible knot of fear in his gut. "Besides I am way better looking than him."

"Not by much." Severus shot at him. "That hair of yours, what ever did you do to it?"

"Can't be tamed sir." Harry said grinning.

"No matter what happens here today Harry I am so very proud of you." Dumbledore said walking up, "I wish I could kill him, I have tried you know, but you are the only one who can."

"It's alright sir, you have done so much to make sure he fails." Harry said.

"They are coming." Severus said quietly looking up fighting down his fear.

Outside the school on the lawn Voldemort left his army of dark creatures, giants and a ragtag army of baser wizards, witches, hags and the like waiting for the word to attack. The doors to the great hall were opened and he strode in. Severus felt a knot of fear tighten like a steel cord inside his gut and he forced himself to remain calm and collected on the outside. Voldemort was clad in fine robes of black , the hood of his black cloak over his head and he was flanked by Bellatrix and Nott the only two he fully trusted while the handful of his inner circle that had survived the explosion at Riddle manor came into the room. Voldemort looked at Harry then turned his attention to Severus and walked up to him and dared to trace a finger down his face.

"The other night was quite enlightening Severus." Voldemort said softly.

"I have no idea what you are talking about." Severus replied steely.

"I will have to ask you to take your hands off of Severus." Dumbledore said walking up, "you will leave him alone!"

"Your fight is with me and me alone." Harry said.

"So having a child fight for you Albus?" Voldemort said softly.

"You know as well as I if I could kill you I would. Somehow your fate is tied to Harry and I hate to have him go through this but it was be done, you caused this." Dumbledore said glaring at Voldemort.

"You killed my mum and dad." Harry said then added "oh and Voldemort?" Here he went off in a tirade in Parseltongue that got Molly very upset.

"Harry you will not swear in any language you understand me?" Molly shouted at him.

"Um sorry Mrs. Weasley I was just upset." This got some nervous laughter. "Um I guess we end this, swords, our wands don't work very well against each other and I am not as strong magically as you. Unless you don't like playing fair?"

"You will die today Harry Potter!" Voldemort hissed.

"You know what is really creepy?" Harry said, "this snake faced git has been coming after me since I was a baby, I am still a kid and never threatened him and he wants to kill me. But what if he got the wrong boy?"

"What do you mean?"

"You think Harry is the one to fell you?" Neville said playing his part, "you forgot me."

"You are nothing to me." Voldemort hissed.

"Well nothing just took out your highest ranking death eater!" Neville said turning on Bellatrix so fast and throwing a hex at her then a knife, she was able to block the hex but not the knife as it went through her heart. "That is for destroying my parents you bitch!"

"You will die for that!" Voldemort snarled ordering Nagini to kill Neville. However Neville was ready for this and killed Nagini with a sword he summoned up. "You will die for that you brat!"

"No, it's you and me now." Harry said, "I got some trinkets for you too."

"What do you mean?" Voldemort said.

"Just these, clever to use so many decoys but we found the locket where you hid your Horcrux." Harry said removing six items from a bag and dropping each to the floor, "diary was not it, nor was the ring, cup or diadem but this locket belonged to Salazar Slytherin not you!"

"Clever boy, so you believe me to be mortal?" Voldemort said evenly and he looked so calm but Harry saw a flicker of fear in his red eyes.

"Yea you are, all you have to do is walk away, walk away and you live, don't and I will kill you." Harry replied.

"And I will watch you die." Quirrell said walking up slowly grinning at the look of shock on Voldemort's face, Voldemort knew all his Horcruxes were gone and that those here were not going to tell everyone how many he had made. "I found the Horcrux and destroyed it, though I will die once you do I will see you go first!"

"As you can see my lord I am back on my feet though they were not mine at birth thanks to you." Rookwood snarled, "was I so foul you had to have me assaulted, tortured and cut to pieces?"

"You were a traitor, at least Severus had a reason to betray me but you!"

"I was loyal you foul bastard!" Rookwood shouted tears in his eyes, "I believed in you, I went to Azkaban for you! All for you and you repaid my loyalty by having me cut to pieces and, and r-raped!"

The hall went very quiet at those words, all knew that Rookwood had been tortured and many had seen him when he was limbless and helpless. Many had an idea of what much of the torture involved but for Rookwood to state it stunned many. Severus refused to show any emotion and stood with Dumbledore while Harry started to battle Voldemort. Severus felt depressed and wanted to crawl away and hide, he felt so dirty and used and tried to be happy when Harry finally killed Voldemort. He rallied and helped in the battle and killed many dark foul creatures human and non human alike that day.

He went to the celebrations so no-one would talk but as soon as he could he went to hide away feeling so very dirty and used. Alone in the Room of Requirement he curled up and sobbed over all the loss and death and waste that Voldemort had caused. He cried for his soul and for those he felt he had killed and he wanted to die. He did not hear the door open but he heard someone walk and take a seat by him. He looked up and saw it was Harry Potter himself! Oh joy just the person he did not want to see him this way! He wanted to snarl at Harry to rant and rave but he did not, instead he sighed and rested his head against the wall. Then he looked over at Harry, just how had the boy found him here of all places?

"I have come here too, when I want to get away." Harry said as if he had read Severus's mind, which he could not really. "When it gets to be too much."

"How could anything be too much for you Potter?" Severus snarled.

"Well he ah liked to get in my head, I was able to block him out better after the curse was taken out of my head but he did get into my head and um showed me what he did to you." Harry said.

"Oh God, now you pity me, I don't want your pity boy!" Severus said.

"Would you take my concern for you instead sir?" Harry said looking at his former professor with concern. "I care about you, I really do and when you are hurt well I hurt too."

"I don't see why you care about me, I was a bloody bastard to you during your schooling."

"A simple misunderstanding." Harry said shrugging, "it's in the past, it's done we have the here and now."

"You sound like a certain annoying headmaster!" Severus said nearly growling as the blasted headmaster was here now! "What is everyone in the bloody world going to come and see Severus Snape sniveling?"

"No, I was worried, we all are my boy." Dumbledore said getting down slowly to kneel boy Severus. "You have suffered too much and you do not need to anymore."

"I have done horrible things, wicked things and at the time I did enjoy doing those things but now, now I know I am so dirty what he did to me."

"You are not dirty sir, he ah well he never put a hand on me." Harry said, "but ah he did mentally use me. He would um put thoughts and such that were vile…"

"I am sorry for that." Severus said softly, "if I had trained you from the start the minute you got to the castle…"

"It's in the past, let it go." Dumbledore said softly.

Severus leaned against the wall and closed his eyes. He knew Dumbledore was right, he could not change the past but he had the future and he had the chance to live a good life. He opened his eyes and smiled and looked from Harry to Dumbledore and gracefully rose to his feet brushing off his robes and helping Dumbledore up. It would be hard to go back to the joy that filled the world now but Severus realized that if Dumbledore and Harry thought he was worth being around then maybe he was. He walked out and down to the great hall and saw Hermione standing by Remus and Dora, she turned and smiled and he felt his heart leap. He walked up to her and brushed her hand with his fingers, he knew for the moment that all really was going to be alright now that Voldemort was dead and gone.

**x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x**

_No that is not the end, Voldemort had to die so I can get on with the rest of the story. There will be more and will deal with lighter things. Severus still needs to heal and he will still have his moments. Having survived some very horrid abuse he would have mixed feelings with Voldemort dead and gone. He would be glad he was dead but he would still at times feel used and dirty._


	18. After the Battle

Chapter Nineteen: After the Battle:

Severus sat under a tree, the very tree that years ago a horrible prank had been pulled on him. No, no he will not think of that, that was in the past and those who had done it had apologized and were now friends! At least those who were alive were, and he knew if James were alive he would be here with him now talking over the battle just a few days prior, well he could be here who knew? Severus mourned those lost, few children had died this time around but still, still there were those lost. A few of his snakes and Pansy was recovering after saving the life of Ron Weasley.

The battle had been fierce after the death of Voldemort, how could it not be? Most of those death eaters left would not be taken alive and so they and the other dark creatures in Voldemort's army were all dead. Rookwood folded himself down by Severus on one side while Sirius carefully walked around Severus so not to get accidentally hexed and sat down before him still not too close as knew all too well the incredible reflexes of one Severus Snape and he did not want to spook him and get hurt. He really had come a long way and cared about Severus now and would not hurt someone he considered his friend now. He wished that he had not been such a prat in school and had been friends of Severus.

"We dodged a bullet as the muggles would say." Sirius said quietly, "you know that right?"

"I do, if not for all those who worked so hard we would quite possibly be dead." Severus said.

"I would have died in the ministry, I should have died." Sirius said quietly, "you saved me though, if I had gone I would have died but it was Moody who went through the veil and I am here, now. I may be rich and have money but what exactly am I good for?"

"What do you mean?" Rookwood asked.

"Well you helped get rid of the Dementors and are good with Runes and such and Severus your potions are the best but what can I, what have I done?" Sirius said feeling useless.

"For one you took me in your home and allowed me to stay though at the time you still did not like me much." Severus said quietly, "you have helped in the war fighting battles as needed and you have become a good friend."

"Never thought you would ever say such a thing." Severus said softly.

"Well I was forced to grow up and realize I was an arrogant evil bastard to you in school. I know that now, I treated you like scum and was no better than the dark lord really." Sirius said, "I was not a nice person."

"You were never that bad, you did try to kill me yes but you did not kill or torture like Voldemort." Severus replied, "as annoying as you were you were not that bad."

"It had to be mostly Wormtail." Rookwood said, "what was he like in school?"

"He was smart and egged us on, he helped create a map of the school he with Remus were the main creators of that map."

"So that is why their names are first, always wondered why you an egotistical person along with James allowed that." Severus said understanding.

"He was a sadistic little ass in school and so was I." Sirius said sadly.

"As was I, Lily was scared of me, scared of where I was going. If only I had listened to her, the dark lord may not have killed her." Severus said.

"Brooding over the past will do none of us any good." Rookwood said, "we have the future that God has given us."

Severus knew Rookwood was right, he recalled how Rookwood had stated that wizards and witches could become "gods" as they were far better than any others on the planet. How he had bought fully into Voldemort's plan and had been blinded by the suffering of others at the hands of Voldemort and his followers. It had taken him being tortured and maimed to the point he literally was helpless and limbless crying out to God in the end. In the end God had allowed him rescue and he was going to use the time given to do what was right and good. He leaned against the tree and closed his copper colored eyes and let the breeze cool him enjoying the freedom of being outside and not locked up in a cell wither it was Azkaban or Voldemort's personal form of hell. Remus came up on this ragtag band of friends and Severus nodded to the werewolf who smiled gently and took a seat.

"Four of us." Remus said softly.

"What?" Rookwood said sleepily coming awake as he had started to doze.

"There are four of us here, under this tree, friends you know?" Remus said getting a bit emotional.

"Yes I do." Severus said softly.

"You know we all are getting a bit too gloomy here." Sirius said smiling, "the war is over, we have our lives ahead of us and well…"

"You started it being gloomy mutt." Severus said silkily.

"You let me keep it up Vampire." Sirius retorted.

"You know the Weasley twins have those fireworks of theirs." Remus said a slow smile coming over his face.

"What are you thinking?" Rookwood asked.

"Astronomy tower, a delayed charm, should go off around dinnertime." Severus smirked.

"How about the great hall over the headmaster's chair?" Sirius said innocently, "come on Severus he would not suspect you would he?"

"He would but then well it would be funny but then Flitwick would end it quickly unless…" Severus grinned, "entry hall would be better, we just have to keep them contained there or Filch will skin me alive."

"He cannot you are a professor."

"He would do it anyway, he may not wish to harm a student despite all his talk but as the youngest professor he would skin me alive if I made more work for the house elves."

"I will set up the wards around the entry hall." Rookwood said, "I just hope that the headmaster does not detect them. Merlin if you ever told me I would be doing this now seven months ago when I was there I would call you mad."

"Well you are, we are." Sirius said, "now I have to go buy the fireworks."

He did and as there was going to be a feast to honor all the students who had fought, it was the perfect time to send off the heroes and the seventh years ready to take on the wide world. Severus was going to take his place at the staff table, a place he had not been for the last year and at the look of the hopeful happy older students and the somewhat terrified look of the first years he realized he was missed here. The meal was uneventful as only it could be and when over Dumbledore got up to speak. Severus hoped it was not a long speech as the fireworks were set to go off at any time.

"My dear students, staff and ghosts another year has come to an end and the end of an era as Voldemort is finally gone. I want to thank all those who have contributed to the defeat of this evil wizard. There will be more good news, as of next year Severus Snape will resume his duties as head of Slytherin, Potions Master and professor here at Hogwarts." The cheer from the Slytherin table was the loudest as they loved Severus even though Andromeda had been an excellent head and had really taken good care of them. "Ah see Severus the students love you!"

"They are all from my house!"

"I love you too sir!" Harry shouted from where he sat then blushed as the hall roared with laughter.

"Thank you for that disturbing revelation Mr. Potter." Severus said silkily.

"I ah, um." Harry stammered blushing and trying to hide.

"Well with all this affection going around…"

There was a bang and Severus kept his features schooled as Hagrid got up and walked to the doors and looked out wide-eyed at the fireworks going off in the entry hall. Dumbledore blinked, rose and Flitwick walked to the doors and scanned the area with his wand and smiled. The students roared with laughter again while Dumbledore smiled looking over at his potions master who looked too innocent to his liking. Then again a major war had ended, the death eaters, Dementors and Voldemort were dead and a bit of fun like this were harmless enough.

"Fireworks, I wonder who was the brave student to dare do that?" Dumbledore asked.

"I doubt it was a student, Severus did you have anything to do with this?" McGonagall asked Severus sternly.

"I you know I hate pranks!" Severus said his black eyes going wide, "did I ever receive detention for one when I was in school?"

"No you did not, but whoever did this will be found out and dealt with." The headmaster said grimly however the twinkle in his eyes gave him away.

"I will whip them raw for this!" Filch snarled limping up he gave Severus a sideways glance and damned if he did not give him a small smile. "Hang them in the dungeons is what I will do!"

"Open the door Mr. Filch, let Filius guide them out." Severus said.

Filch opened the door and Flitwick ushered the fireworks out onto the lawn where they were joined by fireworks from the top of the astronomy tower. The students were allowed to walk out and watch the fireworks as they danced, made words and even showed up in animal shapes all over the lawn of the school. A black dog scurried off into the shadows and Rookwood walked back into the school from the top of the Astronomy tower. Finally the students walked back into the school and headed up to their houses too keyed up to sleep this night. Severus strode to the staffroom where he was confronted by McGonagall who knew, _knew _he had something to do with what had happened.

"Severus I know you had something to do with what was done today!" She said.

"I told you Minerva I am not into pranks like that!"

"You were with Sirius and Remus today where you not?" Flitwick asked.

"No, I was with Rookwood, Sirius and Remus joined us, we had much to speak of. Black is still apologizing for how he treated me in school." Severus said.

"Oh I thought, well I am sorry Severus." McGonagall said.

"I do not blame you but I am a good boy now, not like before." Severus said, "when I joined the dark lord willingly."

"It is over, you have been on the side of good and light for a long time now." Flitwick said, "have some tea?"

"I would like that very much." Severus said smiling.

He liked it here now, he was truly wanted as so many had taken care of him this last year. Even when Rookwood had been found badly broken, maimed of his limbs instead of sending him to St. Mungos where he most certainly would have been locked away and forgotten they had kept him here and helped him heal along with Severus. True Severus still had nightmares and probably always would but they were coming less and less and he was feeling more whole than he had since he was a child. He could hope for no better really.

**x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x**

_A bit of reflection and more sorrow too here. Such is life but there is hope too and the fact that Severus joined in a prank with two of his former enemies from his school days shows this hope. The prank was needed, as humor is a good tool to survive life. In fact for those like me that believe in God, an old joke goes like this: God has a since of humor, he did after all create the Platypus._


	19. Asking and Other Things

Chapter Nineteen: Asking and Other Things:

Severus was nervous and as such when he was nervous he got snappish. Though Hermione was clearly of age and clearly out of Hogwarts he was worried about scandal, but mostly if Hermione really did like him. This despite the fact she had asked him out and he had accepted. She was nearly nineteen as she had patiently told him and had a long talk with her parents. Both were pleased that she wanted to date Severus as they did like him very much. Even Greg who could be very protective of his only daughter and child. They had no problems with this, not even the age gap as there was no mental age gap at all, just the physical one that really did not matter in this case.

Now he was walking through Grimmauld Place clad in muggle attire. He was wearing dark blue well fitting blue jeans, a gray button up shirt open to show off the very muggle tee under it. the sleeves rolled up just under his elbows showing off his new crucifix tattoo on his left forearm where the dark mark had once been. His jeans were tucked into his heavy black buckled dragon skin boots but they looked normal enough so muggles would not think anything of it. He walked into the sitting room and straight into a group of women. Narcissa Malfoy, Molly Weasley, Minerva McGonagall (who was looking at him with keen interest) and Diana Granger looked up at him and Severus wanted to flee. Instead he folded his arms and glared at the witches watching him.

"You look good Severus." McGonagall said.

"She means you look sexy as hell." Narcissa drawled loving the blush creep over her dear friend's face.

"Hmm, you should tie your hair back." Molly said getting up and getting Severus to take a step back.

"I am not a ruddy doll for you lot to dress up!" Severus snarled.

"Well as a muggle I can say you would look too Goth going out with your hair the way it is now." Diana said.

"What is that?" Severus asked.

"Let's see how it looks tied back?" Molly said and Severus wondered where she learned so much about muggles, he actually let her smooth his hair back and tie it back for him. "There, take a look."

Severus did and liked the effect, Molly had used a leather thong and had tied it in a low loose pony tail. As Severus was looking at himself Sirius came in and smirked at the sight. He of course was clad in faded snug blue jeans, brown dragon skin boots and a Led Zeppelin tee shirt. Severus turned and glared at him just as Harry and Ginny came in, Harry was grinning and Ginny looked very happy and Severus had an idea what the two teens had been doing, yet another snogging session with those two. Hermione came in and Severus smiled, he liked the flare jeans, pink trainers and matching tee shirt and she had kept her hair down but done something so it was hardly frizzy at all and looked good on her.

"I never knew that the vampire could dress up so muggle like." Sirius said getting Severus to nearly bore holes in him with his eyes.

"Why don't you go chase your tail mutt?" Severus said but without the venom that would have been there in years past.

"I learned my dad liked it when Sirius was in dog form and I can see why." Harry smirked as Sirius rounded on him, "you really are sweeter in dog form."

"Harry…"

"You told me that first remember." Harry said trying to remain serious but he grinned as his Godfather glared at him

Remus came into the room clad much as a muggle professor or teacher would in brown suit and tie and Dora came in clad in pink Weird Sisters tee shirt, jeans and heavy boots. She was married to Remus now and smiled at the sight of her former professor clad in muggle attire. Remus walked around Severus studying him and Severus folded his arms glaring for all he was worth. Hermione fearing he would attack him came up and with a look to match Severus's got him to back off quickly.

"So where are we going?" Hermione asked.

"I was thinking the zoo, then maybe a movie." Harry said.

"As long as you do not break out in Parseltongue." Severus said getting most of the people in the room to gasp and Harry to blush.

"Ah no sir, I was not thinking of that, but if you ever need a snake charmer again I refuse to do the job." Harry replied.

"Duly noted." Severus said, "who is driving?"

"In London?" Hermione said, "if you like waiting in traffic we could, the underground is much better."

The three couples walked out and Severus felt a pang of loss, he would have loved to have Lucius here. Forcing him into muggle attire with the help of Narcissa would have been fun, seeing his look of mixed horror and interest at his own body in muggle clothes would have been fun. That would never happen now and Severus looked over at Hermione who was enjoying being with him of all people! Harry and Ginny were enjoying each other and Remus and Dora were too. Severus smiled and put on his sunglasses and walked to the underground with the others. They went to the zoo and Harry stayed away from the snake house as he did not want a repeat of what had happened years before. They spent the day enjoying the zoo and Severus was surprised at how happy Hermione was. He smiled as she got two large ice cream cones, both chocolate and gave one to him. He thoroughly enjoyed the ice cream treat and enjoyed his time with Hermione because she made him feel young!

"So the night is young." Harry said as they stood under an awning as it had started to rain. "Where to now?"

"Well there is this great little restaurant near London Tower, I suggest we try that." Remus said, "it's called McDonalds"

"You must think you are funny Wolf." Severus said silkily.

"What is McDonalds?" Ginny asked as she had no idea what it was.

"It's an American hamburger and chips shop." Harry replied.

"Sounds good, I want to try it!" Ginny said.

"Well they do have that orange drink I like." Dora said.

"I have not been for a time." Hermione said and at the look from Severus, "oh come on Severus it would be fun!"

"We are outnumbered." Harry said to Severus, "you know that right?"

"Indeed Harry." Severus said softly.

They went to McDonalds and enjoyed the food there, it was not something those in the magical world enjoyed and indeed even most English would rather their fish and chips or other fare than a completely American institution. They had a good meal, Severus and Hermione got the Big Mac and fries as did Ginny and Harry got a double cheeseburger and fries and Dora got chicken nuggets and fries. Severus tried the orange drink and did not like it at all and stuck with the Coke as did Hermione. He liked being here among friends and he found he really liked Hermione. Now she was no longer a student he was free to date her and become friends with her and did he mention date her? She was smart, pretty and at times acted far older than him even, in a good way that is.

"It's good to be free and out like this." Harry said, "out here I don't have to worry about the fame."

"Well you will never have to worry about being anything but wonderful Harry Potter to me." Ginny said, "when we read each other's minds in the chamber…"

"Just a minute you read each other's minds and never told me?" Hermione said going pink.

"Er ah well um I thought at the time I was not as important and well it…"

"Was private, right Harry?" Dora said giving him a wink.

"Yes, Ginny loves me and I love her, she has a pure soul." Harry said.

"So does Harry." Ginny said, "he does have his moments but then I have my hours."

"More like seconds." Harry said. "You know we asked Ron to come…"

"Yea but he was too busy Snogging Pansy." Ginny said.

"They are pretty serious, I would not doubt they get married in the next few months." Dora said.

"She was a good girl in school, I never thought she would date anyone but Draco, to find she fell for Ron Weasley is refreshing actually." Severus replied.

Severus knew this was going to be an interesting year at school, for one had had not taught for a year and he was on friendly terms with many of the seventh years. How was he to keep his reputation in tack with so many of the seventh years being nice to him and not scared of him at all? This was his last year teaching, he was going to leave at the end of the year and Andromeda was going to take over fully. She did love to teach and was a perfect head of house for Slytherin, things were changing for the better. Why if a hard core Slytherin and a hard core Gryffindor could find love there really was hope for the world was there not?

Severus mentally sighed and walked out into the cool night back to Grimmauld place and he felt a small but strong hand slip into his and it felt so right to him. He smiled at Hermione and she smiled at him and the world felt so right to him. They walked up the steps to Grimmauld place and found a very exited Ron and a crying laughing Pansy, at once the calm and collected Hermione screamed and ran and hugged Anglia as did Dora and Severus walked over to Ron who was grinning from ear to ear. Only one thing could get them to act this way and yes, there was a ring on Pansy's finger. She was not a beautiful girl but she was a kind and good girl and had found love in one that everyone would have not thought possible. Yet it had happened and Ron and Pansy were a good pair despite what others might think.

"She said yes professor." Ron said, "she said yes she would marry me, mum is setting up a little celebration."

"Congratulations Ron, you could not have done better." Severus said meaning it.

"Well you and Hermione sir…"

"What about us?" Severus asked.

"Well she loves you sir, has for some time, I don't mind, I love her but like a sister, a bossy older sister." Ron said softly so that Severus only caught it. "Never thought I could find someone so perfect as her. Goes to show I have to eat my words about Slytherin I said and all."

"You will be kept in line you know that right?" Sirius said coming up grinning, "I think I will stay a bachelor for life."

"No you will find love." Ron said. "I did, in Pansy, she is so lovely and perfect!"

"Right I could marry Narcissa." Sirius said.

"That would be very disturbing." Severus replied. "She is like a sister to me and your first cousin!"

Severus watched Hermione seeing how happy she was and he loved her, that realization set a pleasant jolt through him, he loved her and he wondered if she felt the same way. She turned and saw him and smiled a warm smile and she walked up to him and threw her arms around him and kissed him. He was surprised at this but quickly put his arms around her. The kiss was perfect, it was warm and tingling and so perfect, he even forgot there were people here and he was not alone. Sirius could find nothing to say, Harry and Ginny were impressed and Narcissa smiled as she saw Severus truly happy. Hermione may have been a muggle born but she had helped defeat the greatest evil in hundreds of years.

"You think they ever will come up for air?" Remus said to Dora.

"Don't think they need to do you?" Dora replied.

"No, not really." Remus said taking Dora into an embrace, "makes me want to kiss you."

"Really Mr. Lupin?" Dora said.

"Really Mrs. Lupin." Remus replied.

The celebration that night was one of joy and fun and Severus could not be parted with Hermione. He knew he would not see much of her the next year as she was going on to magical law training but he would write her each day. He was happy for Ron and happy for everyone here and he was most happy Hermione wanted him. He an ugly awkward man with not much going for him, she wanted him! She was far brighter than him, he had known that for years and it had terrified and annoyed him at first but now it was one thing he love about her the most. The good food of Molly just made his mood that much better and though he missed those who had died in the war but he was alive and had so much to live for now!

"I love you." Hermione said to him later as they sat by the fire reading.

"You do?" Severus said looking at the wonderful sweet witch next to him. "Why ever would you do that?"

"Well I figured I needed my very own potions master, you know Ron and Harry, they always get into scraps I have to get them out of."

"How Slytherin of you." Severus said smiling.

"I will take that as a complement," she said kissing his nose and surprisingly Severus found himself liking that. "What I really love is you, all of you, your mind, your temper your smile, everything."

"I love you too, you annoying know-it-all." Severus said meaning the last as a complement.

"And I love you, you dark potions master of the dungeons." Hermione said.

Severus carefully put his book down as did Hermione and they started to kiss again. This was perfect, Severus had a woman, a witch many years younger than him yes but one who loved him. Now she was out of school he could show his love and he nearly wept but this time with joy. His life was very nearly perfect now and he was going to take good care of _his_ know-it-all thank you very much! He would have to ask her to marry him soon, and he hoped she would say yes to him!

**x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x**

_As Hermione is most definitely over eighteen and out of school her dating Severus Snape is just fine. There is nothing wrong with an older man wishing to marry a younger woman, here the age difference is not even twenty years. In the magical world that would not be much at all. I have Remus and Dora here married and of course Harry and Ginny are a couple as I see them together. They to me are soul mates. _


	20. Wedding Bells are Ringing

Chapter Twenty: Wedding Bells are Ringing:

Severus was happy and content, six months had passed and he was starting up his potions business full-time now. He had lots of connections and the like over the years and he was fairly well off. So much so that he had sold the home he grew up in and had been able to buy a nice country cottage with four bedrooms, one and a half bathrooms, with a large kitchen, dining room, living room, office and a wing added for a library to house his and Hermione's books. He knew he loved her and wanted to marry her as he loved her with all his heart. Though it was winter he was going to ask her to marry and had just the place, the British Museum. With that in mind he dressed in new dark brown trousers, a black turtleneck jumper, a dark tweed jacket with his hair tied back and his boots hardly noticeable under his trousers.

He came to the Granger house and rang the bell, in a moment Hermione answered it and when she saw him she smiled at him. She was clad in a pink jumper over a white shirt, a pair of jeans and pink trainers, her hair was tied back in a plait and she looked happy to see him clearly. She invited him in and went to finish getting ready. Severus took a seat in the lounge where Greg was seated and made small talk with him. If Greg knew what was going on he did not say a word but was friendly enough to Severus. Hermione came back in with a jacket on and satchel with books and the like in it and followed Severus out to where his car sat, a green VW bug.

"You really did it Severus." Hermione said, "I thought she would never sell."

"Well, she cannot drive it anymore and I did promise to take good care of it." Severus replied. "Shall we?"

"Where will you park?"

"Oh there are places, advantages of being a magical." Severus smirked, Brat sure can get things done, a nice parking garage near the leaky cauldron, all for a fee of course."

"Of course, and don't call Harry Brat that is not nice." Hermione said getting in the car.

"Why not, I mean it as a friendly term." Severus replied, "would you rather I called him Bambi, his mother might have done so but it does embarrass him so. Then again that is fun."

"Right, well he is a great man and little brother, I wish he were really, he would never have had to be raised by his horrible aunt and her spineless husband." Hermione said.

"You do keep him in line." Severus said with a smile.

"I do that, and always will." Hermione replied.

They came to the heart of London and to the new cark park near the Leaky Cauldron, it looked like a small three car parking spot to muggles, that is if they could look at it at all. But when Severus drove in it took up three levels of fifty glorious spaces, a real luxury in cramped space-starved London. They took the underground to the museum and spent a great morning there. Severus finally gathered his courage and came to a mostly private exhibit and took a box out of his pocket. He got down on one knee and Hermione stood there like so many before her stunned and happy as he took out the ring and looked up at her.

"Hermione Jean Granger, I know I am far too old for you, but I love you. I wish to marry you, you make me feel young and I promise to honor and love you for all time. Please my dear Hermione will you marry me."

"Yes."

"Yes?"

"Yes, oh yes, yes, yes!" Hermione said practically pulling him to his feet, "I love you so much Severus, I would be honored to be your wife!"

"My dear Hermione." Severus muttered putting the ring on her finger, "my dear…"

He never did get any further as Hermione threw herself into his arms and kissed him nearly senseless. They gathered a small audience but did not care, they were so in love and did not think of anything for a time but the pure passionate kiss. Finally they broke apart and knew they had to get back to the Granger house as Severus still had to speak to Greg, who was a modern man and did not feel he had to give his consent to for his daughter to wed. She was an adult and he trusted her judgment. They had a quick lunch and headed back to the Granger house where Severus took a deep breath before he got out of the car with Hermione and headed back up to the house. Greg was off today and so he would be here still, waiting to kill him no doubt. They walked in and before Severus could say anything Hermione ran up and hugged her dad and showed him the ring.

"So you two to get married." Greg said giving Severus a look that made him want to run, "what took you so long?"

"Ah what?" Severus stammered.

"Well I knew she loved you and you loved her, no doubt you two will have few arguments and will remain as happily in love as myself and my dear Diana." Greg said.

"You do not mind I am nearly twenty years older than Hermione?" Severus asked.

"Hardly matters how long you lot lives right?" Greg said, "I will call Diana, she will want to hear the joyous news."

Things went fast after that, Diana knew her daughter well and helped plan a simple yet fun wedding. Four weeks after Severus asked Hermione to marry him he stood at the alter, clad in dove gray robes watching his beautiful bride walk down the aisle clad in a full sleeved long white gown with veil. He could not take his eyes off her, and knew if he looked over he would see Harry grinning, Draco smirking and even Padfoot grinning (Harry had insisted that Sirius come as the best-dog or else he would be locked up at home). Hermione finally came up and Greg handed her off to Severus. The priest was a old man and he looked like the very one out of the _Princess Bride_ fortunately he did not sound like him at all.

"Dearly beloved we are gathered here to join together this man, Severus Tobias Snape and this woman Hermione Jean Granger in holy matrimony, any who so protest this union so say now or hold their peace." He said, of course none did, "very well, Severus Tobias Snape do you take this woman to be your wife, to love and honor, in sickness and in health, for better or worse to the end of your days?"

"I do." Severus said slipping the wedding ring onto Hermione's hand.

"Hermione Jean Granger do you take this man to be your husband, to love and honor, in sickness and in health, for better or worse to the end of your days?"

"I do." Hermione said slipping the wedding ring onto Severus's hand.

"Then by the power of God I pronounce you man and wife, may no-one tear asunder that which God has allowed joined."

"I love you husband." Hermione said to Severus.

"I love you wife." Severus said to Hermione.

They kissed and smiled beaming at each other, then they walked down the aisle to the cheers of all gathered, and there were a lot of people gathered here. They were happy, in love and after all they had been through together at last. They had come a long way, from when Hermione had rescued Severus from the evil grasp of Voldemort, to the months of healing and now both were together. Severus never thought he would be wed and as happy as he was now. He smiled down at his youthful bride and knew that there truly was a happily ever after.

**x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x**

_So there is that, I am not huge on romance but had to have a wedding of these two. I probably will take time in updating this, it did take me years to get to this point after all! But it will get updated, I wanted Severus to have happiness and can see Hermione with Severus if she did not get together with Ron. I think if Severus had survived than there could have been a very real chance at these two getting married. They do have a lot in common, they are scary smart, stubborn, passionate and you can bet no matter the age difference Hermione can and would hold her own. Probably end up ruling the roost as she is not the kind to let anyone walk all over her. I mean look what she did to Ron in cannon just when he was dating someone else? I mean she had birds attack him! So this will be a well balanced marriage for sure._

_Yes I had to allow Sirius at the wedding, but not in human form. I think Padfoot as best-dog would be so sweet and yes, he has a not so little dove gray tux jacket with a dove gray bow-tie as well. _


End file.
